FBI, Biden spy chief say Russia attempting to interfere in election by amplifying GOP concerns about potential fraud

The FBI and President Biden’s intelligence director Avril Haines said Friday that the Kremlin is attempting to undermine confidence in the election by amplifying Republican concerns about possible fraud.

“The [intelligence community] assesses that Russian influence actors manufactured a recent video that falsely depicted individuals claiming to be from Haiti and voting illegally in multiple counties in Georgia,” the FBI, Haines’ office and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in a statement.

“This judgment is based on information available to the IC and prior activities of other Russian influence actors, including videos and other disinformation activities. The Georgia Secretary of State has already refuted the video’s claims as false.”

The joint statement added: “Russian influence actors also manufactured a video falsely accusing an individual associated with the Democratic presidential ticket of taking a bribe from a U.S. entertainer.

“This Russian activity is part of Moscow’s broader effort to raise unfounded questions about the integrity of the US election and stoke divisions among Americans, as detailed in prior ODNI election updates. In the lead up to election day and in the weeks and months after, the IC expects Russia to create and release additional media content that seeks to undermine trust in the integrity of the election and divide Americans.”