Federal officials suspect that a viral video appearing online, which shows mail-in ballots being destroyed in Bucks County, Pennsylvania—a key battleground—could be a fabricated event orchestrated by Russia to influence the election in favor of former President Donald Trump, as reported exclusively by YSL News on Friday.

The video depicts an unidentified individual tearing apart sealed mail-in ballot envelopes that include votes for Trump along with those returned for Vice President Kamala Harris.

The individual in the video can be heard repeatedly saying, “F— Donald Trump,” as he destroys the ballots.

Officials in Bucks County announced on Thursday that they are aware of a misleading video that was spreading on social media, claiming to illustrate Bucks County mail-in ballots being opened and harmed.

They noted that they have informed the FBI, as well as the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General and the Pennsylvania Department of State about this video.

The FBI was not immediately available to comment on the video or any investigation into it.

Characteristics Suggest Russian Disinformation

A federal source told YSL News that the video has all the indicators of a large-scale Russian disinformation effort that has intensified as the election approaches, aimed at boosting Trump’s chances against Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.

This official stated that the content of the video aligns with narratives being promoted by Russia, prompting the FBI to take the lead in examining its origins, with assistance from U.S. intelligence and cybersecurity experts from the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

Currently, there is no conclusive evidence linking the phony video directly to Russian sources at this early stage of the investigation, according to the official, who spoke anonymously due to the ongoing inquiry.

U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials have been issuing warnings for months about an unprecedented level of foreign interference in the Trump vs. Harris presidential race. They claim that Russia is generating propaganda to support Trump while Iran is initiating a counter-propaganda effort against him due to his tough stance towards the country.

U.S. intelligence officials have emphasized that Russia is the most active entity in this election cycle, including producing fake videos where individuals allege victimization by Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

For example, one video falsely claims that Harris caused a young girl to become paralyzed in a hit-and-run incident in San Francisco, while another accuses Walz of sexual misconduct with a student during his teaching career in Minnesota.

Officials from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) have clarified in recent press briefings that these accusations are not true. Yet, these videos, along with other Russian disinformation campaigns, have gone viral on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and have the potential to reach millions of voters across the U.S.

The federal official also informed YSL News that authorities suspect more fraudulent election-related videos are being circulated, featuring actors pretending to be Americans to promote pro-Trump and anti-Harris messages, create chaos, and erode trust in the electoral process.

Why is Russia Focusing on Bucks County, Pennsylvania?

Recent polling indicates that the presidential election is extremely competitive. This tight race makes Pennsylvania—especially Bucks County, an affluent suburb near Philadelphia—an essential area for determining the election result.

In the past two presidential elections, Montgomery and Bucks counties combined have cast more ballots than Philadelphia, which individually accounted for 10% of the votes in 2020 and 11.5% in 2020.

Bucks County is closely divided in terms of party affiliation, with Republicans representing approximately 41.6% and Democrats about 41%, based on latest voter registration statistics from this month.

Both candidates are paying significant attention to Bucks County and its surrounding regions. Just last week, Trump was seen operating a fry machine at a McDonald’s in Feasterville, claiming he worked “15 minutes more than Kamala” at the iconic fast-food establishment.

A federal official commended Bucks County leaders, both Republicans and Democrats, for promptly recognizing the fake video and denouncing it publicly.

According to Bucks County spokesperson James O’Malley, a key indicator that the video was fake was the glossy appearance of the envelopes, which is not characteristic of official ballot envelopes. The authentic non-glossy secrecy envelopes used for official ballots were displayed in a video from the county uploaded to YouTube in August, as reported by the Bucks County Courier Times.

“Such actions aim to create division and mistrust in our election systems and undermine the dedication of individuals working tirelessly to ensure a fair and free election,” Bucks County Commissioner and Board of Elections Chair Bob Harvie told the Courier Times. He stated that the elections board “strongly condemns the intentional spread of harmful misinformation.”

A post on X, previously known as Twitter, sharing the two-minute video had accumulated over 342,000 shares by 2:40 p.m. on Thursday.

The Bucks County Democratic Committee also issued a statement on Thursday evening, denouncing the video.

“This blatantly fraudulent and, frankly, racist video is merely a shameful attempt by Donald Trump supporters to cast doubt on our mail-in voting system and ultimately on the outcome of the Presidential Election,” stated state Sen. Steve Santarsiero (D-Bucks), the chair of the county Democratic committee.

In response, the Bucks County Republican Committee quickly addressed the video on their Facebook page, describing it as “designed to intimidate voters and deter them from utilizing mail-in ballots or on-demand voting that utilizes the same mail-in ballot approach.”