Saturday, October 26, 2024

Today in Russian Interference: Fake PA Ballot Destruction

Russian actors were behind a widely circulated video falsely depicting mail-in ballots for Donald Trump being destroyed in Pennsylvania, U.S. officials confirmed on Friday. The video had taken off on social media Thursday but was debunked within three hours by local election officials and law enforcement after members of the public reported it.

Posted by tonyroma at 12:31 PM | 17 COMMENTS | permalink

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U.S. officials said in a statement sent by the FBI that they believe the video was "manufactured and amplified" by Russian actors. The officials said it's part of "Moscow's broader effort to raise unfounded questions about the integrity of the U.S. election and stoke divisions among Americans."

The information was released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

The Bucks County Board of Elections had identified the video as fake on Thursday, saying the envelope and other materials in the video "are clearly not authentic materials belonging to or distributed by" the board.

For those who claim to be tired of "Russia, Russia, Russia" maybe you should ask why almost every single day another Russian mal-information attempt is found actively trying to influence or inflame voters in key swing states through posts on X.
The video showed a person sorting through what looked like mail ballots labeled as coming from Bucks County. The person, who was Black, appeared to be tearing up ballots marked for Trump, and leaving alone ballots marked for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Researchers who closely study Russian foreign influence campaigns had previously connected the video to a Russian disinformation network known as Storm-1516 or CopyCop. The network has previously shared numerous videos with false claims about Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz.

Imagine if Musk didn't own and control X, and the stronger debunking and removal standards established in the aftermath of Russia's 2016 campaign were still in place. Now do you understand why Musk buying Twitter - after being talked to and allegedly threatened by Putin in 2022 - might be the most singular effective method of insuring Russian disinformation continues to negatively impact faith in our elections with an almost unfettered access to American media's political bloodstream?

#1 | Posted by tonyroma at 2024-10-26 08:35 AM

Tony,

"Imagine if Musk didn't own and control X"

Without Musk, liberal media wouldn't have gotten their hands slapped and the blatant bias in social networks exposed to the public.

I bet a lot of people do wish Musk hadn't bought X.

#2 | Posted by BillJohnson at 2024-10-26 09:49 AM

Imagine if Musk didn't own and control X"

Without Musk, liberal media wouldn't have gotten their hands slapped and the blatant bias in social networks exposed to the public.

I bet a lot of people do wish Musk hadn't bought X.

Posted by BillJohnson at 2024-10-26 09:49 AM | Reply

God you're ignorant. We don't have a liberal media. We have a corporate media. Please do educate yourself on the subject matter at hand next time before you opine.

#3 | Posted by LauraMohr at 2024-10-26 09:53 AM

Laura,

'We don't have a liberal media.'

So I guess you don't believe there are news sites with a right wing bias either?

#4 | Posted by BillJohnson at 2024-10-26 11:34 AM

So I guess you don't believe there are news sites with a right wing bias either?

Apples, oranges Bill. Look at what you stated.

liberal media versus right wing bias

One is not like the other. Of course particular media sources can be biased but that wasn't what you said. You claimed there was a liberal media when there isn't. There is a conservative media such as Sinclair, IHeartRadio, and the entire right wing mediasphere - Fox News, Newsmax, OANN, et._al., which controls political content from the top down.

Name one media outlet that is 100% liberal outside of progressive radio. Which network is liberal? NBC isn't, they're corporate just like Laura said. MSNBC is certainly liberal leaning, but some of its most popular programs are helmed by a former Contract for America ex-GOP congressman and a former GOP political operative who worked in the W White House and for the McCain presidential campaign.

Every other non-right network is for profit only, not politically biased as a matter of its existence and marketing. Even NPR is only considered left-leaning because its based on intellectualism which is anathema to today's conservatives who proudly demean intellectuals every chance they get. NPR often asks responders to politically self-identify so they can try to be more openly balanced.

#5 | Posted by tonyroma at 2024-10-26 11:52 AM

How's Scott Presler's Pennsylvania Amish operation working out? Lol

#6 | Posted by reinheitsgebot at 2024-10-26 01:09 PM

"liberal media versus right wing bias"

Whose fault is it that reality has a liberal bias?

#7 | Posted by donnerboy at 2024-10-26 01:14 PM

They are training us to believe ballot, election theft is a Russiapublican thing so when it happens we know who is doing it and why! Russia helping Republicans isn't even news any more. Putin not helping Republicans, Musk not helping Republicans, piece of s**t billionaire not helping Republicans, that would be news!

#8 | Posted by danni at 2024-10-26 02:43 PM

Laura

I said "liberal" media.

In other words media that is liberal got their hands slapped.

Even Tony acknowledged liberal media exists.

Yawwnnn.

Nuf of you...

#9 | Posted by BillJohnson at 2024-10-26 06:13 PM

Even Tony acknowledged liberal media exists.

No I didn't. You have to be careful with your words because they DO have distinct meanings.

Of course, particular media sources can be biased but that wasn't what you said.

You claimed there was a liberal media when there isn't. There is a conservative media such as Sinclair, IHeartRadio, and the entire right wing mediasphere - Fox News, Newsmax, OANN, et._al., which controls political content from the top down.

There are members of the media who are liberally biased but there is no 'liberal media' in the sense entire conservative networks and mediaspheres sell themselves as conservative from the top down.

#10 | Posted by tonyroma at 2024-10-26 06:33 PM

Tony,

"MSNBC is certainly liberal leaning"

There are others.

#11 | Posted by BillJohnson at 2024-10-26 07:50 PM

Tony,

The Drudge Report as of late has become a blatant anti-Trump site.

It posted a headline saying a million people coming to a Harris rally. Read the article and at the bottom there was a correction at the end saying it was a few thousand. Did DR fix their headline? No.

#12 | Posted by BillJohnson at 2024-10-26 07:54 PM

#12 | Posted by Woman Hater at 2024-10-26 07:54 PM | Reply | Flag: Do you expect anything less?

#13 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-26 07:58 PM

"The Drudge Report as of late has become a blatant anti-Trump site." -

#12 | Posted by Women Hater

What part of Red Meat for Yellow Dogs do you not understand?

#14 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-26 08:01 PM

- blatant anti-Trump

Blatant anti-Criminal Traitor?

Yes, and your problem with that is what?

You are pro-Criminal Traitor.

#15 | Posted by Corky at 2024-10-26 08:39 PM

Right now there is pro-nazi media and anti nazi media

Which side are u on?

#16 | Posted by truthhurts at 2024-10-26 09:18 PM

Like currency, tech should be used to make it easy to identify counterfeit ballots; especially mail in ballots.

#17 | Posted by FedUpWithPols at 2024-10-27 06:47 AM

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