Charges, sanctions revive specter of Russian election interference
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday charged a Russian national in a sweeping plot to sow distrust in the American political process and imposed sanctions against a Russia- linked Ukrainian lawmaker accused of interfering in the U. S. presidential election.
Those actions — combined with a Microsoft announcement on hacking attempts targeting U. S. political campaigns, parties and consultants — underscore the extent to which the same cyber intrusions and foreign influence operations that defined the 2016 White House race remain a persistent concern today.
They also reflect a dichotomy in the administration. with officials taking aim at Russian interference in the political process even as President Donald Trump expresses doubt about Russian meddling. In the case of the sanctions, officials denounced audio recordings that had been released by the Ukrainian parliamentarian and promoted by Mr. Trump on Twitter.
The criminal charges accuse Artem Mikhaylovich Lifshits of serving as a translation manager in a Russian effort that since at least 2014 has tried to disrupt the political system in the U. S. and other countries and spread distrust about candidates. Members of the initiative, known as Project Lakhta, traveled to the U. S. to collect intelligence and operated bogus social media accounts that could pump out messaging to millions of Americans on divisive social issues.
The group operated through entities including the Internet Research Agency, the Russian troll farm charged by special counsel Robert Mueller with stirring up discord before the 2016 election, according to a criminal complaint charging Mr. Lifshits with using stolen identities to open fake accounts at banks and digital currency exchanges.
The goal of the department where Mr. Lifshits worked was to sow discord, incite civil unrest and polarize Americans with social media posts that touched on hot- button topics including gun rights, immigration, the Confederate flag and race relations, prosecutors say.
“Project Lakhta members did not exclusively adopt one ideological viewpoint; rather, they wrote on topics from varied and sometimes opposing perspectives,” a Secret Service agent wrote in an affidavit supporting the complaint. “Project Lakhta members also developed strategies and guidance to target audiences with conservative and liberal viewpoints, as well as particular social groups.”
The Justice Department complaint does not accuse Mr. Lifshits or other Project Lakhta members of promoting a particular presidential candidate in the 2020 race. Many of the social media posts that are referenced were early in Mr. Trump’s first term, well before Democrat Joe Biden had emerged as his party’s presidential nominee.
Mr. Lifshits was one of four people cited on Thursday by the Treasury Department, as was Andrii Derkach, a Ukrainian lawmaker who was characterized by the U. S. government as “an active Russian agent” for over a decade. Officials say he has interfered in the 2020 election by releasing edited audio recordings designed to denigrate Mr. Biden.
The administration’s move was especially notable because the statement announcing it said Mr. Derkach’s recordings advance anti- Biden claims that rely on “false and unsubstantiated narratives.” Mr. Trump has promoted those recordings by retweeting posts that include or reference them.
The other three people who were sanctioned are connected to the IRA.
Also on Thursday, Microsoft said the same Russian military intelligence outfit that hacked the Democrats in 2016 has attempted similar intrusions into the computer systems of more than 200 organizations, including political parties and consultants. Most of the infiltration attempts by Russian, Chinese and Iranian agents were halted by Microsoft security software and the targets notified.