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Russian commentators on Thursday mocked allegations that Moscow was meddling again in the U.S. presidential election, and President Vladimir Putin appeared to bolster the teasing tone by wryly claiming he supported Vice President Kamala Harris.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Justice Department said the Russian state-owned broadcaster RT is carrying out a covert campaign to influence the American public ahead of the election. Two state media employees were charged, and 10 people and two entities were sanctioned, with Kremlin-run websites seized.
The Justice Department did not identify which candidate the propaganda campaign was meant to boost. But internal strategy notes from participants in the effort released by the Justice Department make clear that former President Donald Trump was the intended beneficiary, even though the candidates' names were blacked out.
The Kremlin has dismissed previous allegations of interference in U.S. elections, from 2016 and onward, as nonsense. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson vowed to retaliate against U.S. media in Russia.
Margarita Simonyan, head of the state-run broadcaster RT who was sanctioned by the U.S. in the latest allegations, shared a social media post Thursday in which the outlet hit back by saying, "They called from 2016 and want all their tired cliches back.”
The Treasury Department described Simonyan as a “central figure in Russian government malign influence efforts.”
Putin, who was in the Russian Far East port of Vladivostok for an economic forum, did not address the latest U.S. allegations, but he did comment on the election, in which Harris is the Democratic Party’s nominee after President Joe Biden dropped his bid for reelection.
“We had the current president, Mr. Biden, as our favorite but he was taken out of the race. He recommended all his supporters back Mrs. Harris, so we will too,” Putin said with a wry smile and an arched eyebrow.
Harris, he said, has an “expressive and infectious laugh,” which shows “she’s doing well.”
If Harris is doing well, then “perhaps she will refrain” from imposing more sanctions on Russia, Putin said. Some members of the audience were pictured laughing at his remarks.
Putin authorized influence operations to help Trump in the 2020 election, while his 2016 campaign benefited from hacking by Russian intelligence officers and a covert social media effort, according to U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials.
Before winning in 2016, Putin praised Trump as “outstanding” and “talented."
Earlier this year, Putin suggested that Biden's reelection would be better for Russia as he is “more experienced” and “predictable.”
U.S. intelligence officials maintain that Moscow still has a preference for Trump, who has praised Putin and has suggested cutting aid to Ukraine.
Although RT's Simonyan shared posts disparaging the U.S. allegations, earlier this year she appeared on a Russian talk show and discussed how RT was involved in “info wars,” pumping out pro-Kremlin narratives in the U.S.
“We create many sources of information that are not tied to us,” Simonyan said, suggesting to the host that she shouldn’t publicly discuss RT's covert work.
“While the CIA tries to figure out that they’re tied to us, they already have an enormous audience. Sometimes they find them and close them down. ... While they’re shutting them down we’ve already created new ones,” she said.
RT and the CIA “chase each other” in a game of cat and mouse, she said.
“It’s actually fun,” Simonyan added with a laugh.
In Vladivostok, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said authorities would take “retaliatory measures” against U.S. media in Russia in response to the U.S. actions.
She said the Justice Department's moves contradict U.S. obligations to ensure “free access to information and media pluralism.”
Russia, meanwhile, is pursuing an increasingly harsh crackdown on independent journalists, activists and ordinary citizens, suffocating any free expression inside the country.