The FBI is targeting American citizens linked to Russian media in a bid to combat potential “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 RT contributor, and Dimitri K. Simes, a Soviet-born US political pundit who hosts a show on domestic Russian television.
The raids are part of a “broad criminal investigation” that is part of “an aggressive effort to combat the Kremlin’s influence operations,” the NYT reported on Wednesday, citing anonymous US officials. The federal government plans more raids and may issue criminal charges, the sources said.
US law enforcement officials described the targets 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.”
Both Ritter and Simes are staunch critics of US foreign policy under President Joe Biden, which they believe misguidedly antagonizes Russia and increases the risk of 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 of sanctions on Russia.
The raids did not result in any charges being brought against the two US 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.