FBI investigating Russian election interference and raiding homes in major crackdown

The US is investigating multiple people with connections to Russian state TV in connection with election interference claims as officials warn of their potential influence in the run-up to November’s big decision.
The Department of Justice is conducting a widespread criminal investigation, raiding homes in the latest efforts to crack down on the Kremlin’s potential influence on the election.
The FBI raided the homes of two prominent figures in Russian state media – Scott Ritter and Dimitri K. Simes. Ritter is a former United Nations weapons inspector and vocal critic of American policy, and Simes is a former adviser to Donald Trump.
According to officials briefed on the inquiry speaking to the New York Times, more searches are expected soon. There have not been any charges announced against Ritter and Simes, but that’s a possibility for the future, the officials said.
This comes after Joe Biden’s administration found Russian state news organizations are actively working with intelligence agencies to influence elections around the world, including the US.
The officials and public statements revealed that the Kremlin’s propaganda machine has for a third time disseminated posts online favoring Trump, including fake videos slamming Biden and Kamala Harris.
The current investigation is currently focussed on finding out who has violated economic sanctions imposed on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and a law requiring people to disclose lobbying efforts on behalf of foreign governments.
Following the raid on Ritter’s home, FBI agents were seen carrying boxes of evidence, reportedly including phones, computers, and hard drives.
He quickly hit back, telling Spotlight News: “The FBI conducted court-authorized law enforcement activity. We have no further comment as this is an ongoing matter. Apparently, someone in the US government takes umbrage at this.”
In the case of the raid on Simes’ home, the FBI told Rappahannock News: “The FBI conducted court-authorized law enforcement activity. We have no further comment as this is an ongoing matter.”
Simes hosted a talk show on Russia’s state Channel One network, and echoed Ritter’s claims of not knowing why he was being targeted by the FBI.
He told Russian TV channel Sputnik: “It clearly is an attempt to intimidate, not only somebody from Russia, but just anyone who goes against official policies and particularly against the deep state.”
Simes was also named in in the Mueller report – an investigation into Russian influence operations on the 2016 US election. He was accused of passing what he believed to be incriminating information on Bill Clinton to Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.

The US Director of National Intelligence’s office warned last month that Russian officials were using their country’s state media to influence US politics.
The DNI wrote in a public assessment: “Russian influence actors have undertaken distinct efforts during this election cycle to build and use networks of US and other Western personalities to create and disseminate Russian-friendly narratives.
“These personalities post content on social media, write for various websites with overt and covert ties to the Russian Government, and conduct other media efforts.”