The agency is targeting people who could allegedly influence the US presidential election in Moscow’s favor, sources said.
The FBI is targeting American citizens linked to Russian media in an attempt to combat potential “Kremlin influence” in the run-up to the US presidential election in November, insiders told The New York Times.
Earlier this month, the US security agency raided the homes of Scott Rittera former UN weapons inspector, RT contributor, and Dimitri K. Simesa Soviet-born American political commentator who hosts a show on Russian television.
The attacks are part of a “broad criminal investigation” this is part of “an aggressive effort to counter the Kremlin’s influence operations,” The Times reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed U.S. officials. The federal government is planning more raids and may issue criminal charges, the sources said.
US law enforcement officials described the targets as “individuals who intentionally spread disinformation from Moscow,” the report said. The newspaper noted that the investigation could “impinge on the protection of the rights to freedom of expression provided for in the First Amendment.”
Both Ritter and Simes are outspoken critics of U.S. foreign policy under President Joe Biden, which they believe is misguided. antagonizes Russia and raises the risk of nuclear war. The FBI suspects they and others of possible violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which requires disclosure of individuals in the U.S. acting on behalf of foreign governments, as well as sanctions on Russia.
The raids did not result in any charges against the two American citizens.
Ritter detailed his stance on the situation in an opinion piece published on RT this week. He described his reasons for being a contributor to a Russian media outlet, contrasting the experience with working for mainstream American media, which he claims is often subservient to U.S. foreign policy.
“The US government works overtime to stigmatize any journalism that has ties to Russia,” Ritter said.
Simes, who has lived in Moscow since 2022, has a similar impression of what Washington intended to achieve by raiding his family home in Virginia.
“It is clearly an attempt to intimidate, not just anyone from Russia, but anyone who goes against official policies and particularly against the deep state,” he counted Sputnik last week.