FBI cracking down on US citizens linked to Russian media – NYT

The agency is targeting people who could allegedly influence the US presidential election in Moscow’s favor, sources have said

The FBI is targeting American citizens linked to Russian media in a bid to combat “Kremlin influence” in the run-up to the US presidential election in November, insiders have told the New York Times.

Earlier this month, the US security agency raided the homes of Scott Ritter, a former UN weapons inspector, who currently contributes to RT, and Dimitri K. Simes, a Soviet-born longtime US political operator, who hosts a show on domestic Russian television. 

The raids are part of a “broad criminal investigation” that reflects “an aggressive effort to combat the Kremlin’s influence operations,” The Times reported on Wednesday, citing anonymous US officials. The federal government plans more raids and may issue criminal charges, the sources said. 

Officials described the targets of US law enforcement action as “individuals intentionally spreading disinformation from Moscow,” the report said. The newspaper noted that the investigation could “bump up against the First Amendment’s protection of rights to free speech.” 

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Russia has never tried to dictate any narrative to me, unlike the West – Scott Ritter

Both Ritter and Simes are critics of US foreign policy under President Joe Biden, which they believe misguidedly antagonizes Russia and may result in a nuclear war. The FBI suspects them and others of possible violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which requires disclosure from people in the US acting on behalf of foreign governments, as well as anti-Russian sanctions. The raids did not result in any charges being brought against the two American citizens. 

Ritter detailed his position on the situation in an opinion piece published on RT this week. He described his motives for being a contributor to a Russian media outlet, contrasting the experience with working with American legacy media, which he claims are often subservient to US foreign policy. 

“The US government works overtime to stigmatize any journalism possessing connectivity with Russia,” Ritter said. 

Simes, who has been living in Moscow since 2022, has a similar impression of what Washington aimed to achieve by raiding his family home in Virginia. 

“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,” he told Sputnik last week.