WASHINGTON − As Election Day approaches, Russia is increasing its efforts to meddle in the U.S. elections, aiming specifically to assist Donald Trump in defeating Kamala Harris. U.S. intelligence officials report that they are employing advanced techniques, involving both unwitting and even “witting” individuals in the U.S., and also attempting to influence lower-tier elections.

During a 75-minute briefing, senior officials tasked with countering foreign interference from Russia, Iran, China, and other adversaries shared this information with reporters.

While discussing classified information, the officials did not provide specifics on which Americans might be under investigation or details on the “witting” accomplices that the Kremlin is allegedly involving to support Trump against Harris, the Democratic candidate.

This briefing marked one of the initial times, if not the first, that U.S. intelligence representatives have clearly stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin is making efforts to aid Trump in the upcoming election, echoing his previous support in 2016 and 2020.

In response to inquiries, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung jokingly remarked that “Putin endorsed Kamala Harris,” referring to a light-hearted comment made by the Russian leader during a conference the day before.

According to intelligence officials, the intensity and scope of these new efforts by Russia are unprecedented, far exceeding the details shared in a recent indictment that accused Russian operatives of orchestrating a $10 million initiative to employ U.S.-based influencers through fake media networks to propagate Russian narratives among American voters.

An official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), which is coordinating U.S. actions against election interference, described Russia’s influence tactics as significant and extensive, with multiple Russian entities engaging in these efforts beyond those recently indicted.

A representative from the FBI affirmed this point, noting that the recent legal actions merely scratch the surface of the breadth of Russia’s strategy to influence the elections.

The ODNI official indicated that Putin’s light-hearted remarks—made during a conference in eastern Russia—favoring Harris exemplify Russian disinformation tactics.

The official emphasized that U.S. intelligence agencies do not view Putin’s public declarations as reflective of Russia’s covert strategies, citing numerous instances where his public persona diverged from actual Russian operations, such as his previous assertion against invading Ukraine right before the invasion took place.

When asked whether Trump has been briefed on the alleged Russian interference, and if he disavows such actions, Cheung did not respond.

In a post on his Truth Social media platform on Thursday, Trump dismissed the recent indictments, labeling them as a political maneuver by the Justice Department to meddle in the elections in favor of the Democrats by reviving the “Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax” narrative.

The Harris campaign did not provide immediate commentary regarding the newly revealed intelligence. Officials reiterated their past statements that Iran is also attempting to influence the elections, but in favor of Harris and against Trump.

Exploiting U.S. influencers for Russian propaganda

On Wednesday, prosecutors announced charges against two Russian nationals for spearheading a $10 million campaign aimed at swaying the 2024 election via online platforms that inundated millions of Americans with misinformation.

Additionally, federal prosecutors charged a former advisor to Trump’s 2016 campaign, who is a dual citizen, with money laundering and working for a sanctioned Russian state broadcasting network.

The previous complaint highlighted RT, the Russian state media organization, which U.S. distributors cut ties with following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. At a press conference on Wednesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that the organization financed the misinformation campaign through a Tennessee-based firm, later identified as Tenet Media, to disseminate Russian disinformation to American celebrities on social media and sow division within U.S. politics.

One allegation indicated that a well-known right-wing influencer was compensated $400,000 monthly for their content.

Notable right-wing influencers associated with Tenet Media include Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, Dave Rubin, Tayler Hansen, Matt Christiansen, and Lauren Southern.

After the indictment, some influencers claimed they were unaware victims of this Russian initiative.

The Justice Department also seized 32 internet domains utilized by Russians to spread misleading information regarding the elections as part of a program known as “Doppelganger,” Garland reported. According to the indictment and a comprehensive 300-page addendum, these domains were designed to mimic legitimate websites.

U.S. news outlets were seen sharing Russian propaganda instead of reliable information, which could be spread further by American influencers.

Russia conducting more advanced election interference strategies

In a briefing on Friday, U.S. officials indicated that the use of conservative influencers is just one example of the more advanced tactics the Kremlin is employing during this election period.

An official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) described this tactic as a means of laundering Russian propaganda. This involves propagating dividing narratives during the election year via popular U.S. media figures. According to this official, Americans are more inclined to trust these influencers compared to past Kremlin activities that were clearly foreign propaganda.

Previous methods, still in use, included fake accounts on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), easily identifiable by their low follower counts and lack of genuine personal details.

The ODNI representative noted that while both Iran and China are also active during this electoral cycle, Russia is particularly alarming due to its extensive capabilities and wide-ranging strategies, even extending to down-ballot races.

A third official from ODNI mentioned that the agency had offered to brief both the Trump and Harris campaigns regarding foreign interference efforts. However, the official did not confirm whether either campaign or the individual candidates had agreed to these briefings.

Neither campaign answered inquiries from YSL News regarding whether they accepted or received any briefings about election interference.

‘Russia is the most active foreign influence threat’

On Friday, the ODNI also publicly shared an election security update, reiterating that U.S. intelligence bodies continue to evaluate that Russia is the most active foreign influence threat in the upcoming U.S. elections.

The ODNI stated that no foreign party, including Russia, China, or Iran, has been found to be trying to interfere with the actual election process, like tampering with voting machines.

However, they stated, “Russia is attempting to amplify divisive messaging and affect election outcomes, aligning with Moscow’s broader foreign policy aims of weakening the United States and undermining its support for Ukraine.”

To achieve this, Russia, through RT and its fabricated media outlets, “has formed and utilized networks of American and other Western personalities to create and circulate Russia-favorable messages, attempting to disguise these communications as authentic expressions of American free speech.”

“These figures, among others, are backing Moscow’s attempts to sway voter preferences in support of the former President while diminishing opportunities for the Vice President using targeted online operations on social media and sites that present themselves as trustworthy news platforms,” the report explained.

U.S. influencers claim they were misled

According to the charging documents released on Wednesday, the Justice Department accused unregistered Russian agents of establishing a company known as Tenet Media to influence the 2024 election, offering some of its commentators payments of up to $100,000 for each episode.

Tenet Media featured broadcasts on platforms like YouTube, showcasing appearances from Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of Trump and current co-chair of the Republican National Committee; Florida Republican Rep. Brian Mast; longtime Trump attorney Harmeet Dhillon; and former Trump national security aide Kash Patel.

Other prominent pro-Trump figures who appeared on Tenet Media included Kari Lake, the Republican U.S. Senate nominee from Arizona; former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy; and former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who has recently endorsed Trump.

By Thursday evening, several of the videos had been removed, replaced by a message on YouTube stating that the related account had been cancelled. A spokesperson for YouTube stated that the accounts were taken down “following an indictment from the US Department of Justice and after a thorough review  as part of our ongoing efforts against orchestrated influence operations.”

Lara Trump, Mast, Dhillon, Lake, Patel, Ramaswamy, and Gabbard were all guests on Johnson’s show. Johnson claimed on Wednesday that he too fell victim to the Russian scheme.

Contributing: Erin Mansfield