WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Tuesday announced new sanctions against Russians accused of producing a fake video spreading sexual assault allegations against Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz.
Walz, the governor of Minnesota, was accused in October by an alleged former student of inappropriate touching and kissing while Walz was a teacher at the school — but the claim, which used the real name of a former student at the school, collapsed when he was actually arrested. The alum came forward and said it was fake AI.
The Treasury said it had imposed sanctions on the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise and its director Valery Mikhailovich Korovin over the video, which remains watchable on X — meaning the targets will be frozen for any assets that fall within the reach of US officials.
The Treasury Department said in its announcement that the CEG “manipulated a video that it used to produce baseless accusations regarding a 2024 vice presidential candidate in an attempt to sow discord among American voters.”
The entity also allegedly created a network of fake news websites to distribute manipulated content.
“The CGE team and its employees used artificial intelligence tools to quickly create disinformation that was distributed across a massive network of websites designed to mimic legitimate news outlets to create false support among stories, as well as to obscure their Russian origin,” the department said. .
“GRU provided the CGE and a network of US-based facilitators with financial support to: build and maintain its AI support server; maintain a network of at least 100 websites used in disinformation operations; and contribute to the cost of rent for the apartment in which it is located.” The server has it.
The Biden administration also announced sanctions on Tuesday against an Iranian group, the Cognitive Design Production Center, for allegedly planning “influence operations intended to incite social and political tensions among American voters in the lead-up to the 2024 US elections.”
Russian judge Olesya Mendeleeva also faces new US sanctions for ordering the arrest of Moscow city council member Alexei Gorenov.
