U.S. intelligence officials say Russian operatives attempting to interfere with the American election were behind a fake video supposedly showing someone tearing up ballots in Pennsylvania.
“This Russian activity is part of Moscow’s broader effort to raise unfounded questions about the integrity of the U.S. election and stoke divisions among Americans,” the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in a statement on Friday night.
The intelligence community has determined that Russians had “manufactured and amplified the video.”
“Local election officials have already debunked the video’s content,” the office said in the statement, which was released less than two weeks before Election Day with the race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump largely tied.
The U,S. has repeatedly expressed concerns over attempts by foreign governments to sow discord and turmoil in a sharply divided country.
CNN reported that the video was purported to have been shot in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
— Bloomberg