U.S. targets Russia over 2024 election opinion effort

The Biden administration on Wednesday will announce actions targeting Russian-government-backed efforts to manipulate American opinion before the 2024 election, two senior U.S. officials told NBC News.

Those alleged efforts include the use of RT, the English-language media network backed by Russia, to influence U.S. opinion, the officials said.

The Biden administration’s actions in response to those efforts are expected to include sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department and a law-enforcement action by the Department of Justice.

Attorney General Merrick Garland plans to speak publicly about actions later Wednesday.

In July, U.S. intelligence officials told NBC News that Russia was trying to undermine the campaign of President Joe Biden to win re-election this fall.

Biden weeks later dropped out of the race, and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him atop the Democratic ticket.

Harris is set to face Donald Trump, the Republican nominee and former president, in November.

Trump was elected to the White House in 2016. Investigations later found that there was a coordinated effort by Russia to support his candidacy over the then-Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton.

RT’s press office, when asked about news of the expected actions on Wednesday, told NBC, wrote: 1. Ha! 2. Hahahaha! 3. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.”

“4. 2016 called and it wants its clichés back,” the press office said. “5. Three things are certain in life: death, taxes and RT’s interference in the US elections 6. We gotta earn our Kremlin paycheck somehow 7. Somewhere Secretary Clinton is sad that it’s not because of her.”

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