The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) announced Friday that it has not “observed” any foreign interference in the 2024 election, seemingly undermining cynical remarks by Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The ODNI’s Foreign Malign Influence Center (FMIC) stated in a 2-page report that the intelligence community “has not observed any foreign actor seeking to interfere in the conduct of the 2024 elections.” Natalie Winters, a co-host of the Steve Bannon WarRoom podcast, first reported these findings.
While the report stipulated that Russia “poses the most active foreign influence threat” to the election, it found no evidence of meddling. The FMIC’s assertions come just days after Garland issued dire warnings about so-called foreign influence targeting the election.
On Wednesday, Garland announced actions targeting what he described as Russian-ordered schemes aimed at swaying the upcoming election.
The leftist attorney general unveiled an indictment against two RT (Russia Today) employees accused of funneling $10 million to “fund and direct” an American company to promote pro-Russia content.
The company was revealed to be Tenet Media, owned by influencer Lauren Cheng and her husband, Liam Donovan.
The DOJ claimed the media company used the funds to hire high-profile conservative influencers, including Benny Johnson, Tim Pool, Dave Rubin and Lauren Southern.
Media outlets and left-wing figures have seized on these DOJ allegations to launch what appears to be a unified smear campaign against these conservative influencers, many known for their pro-Trump content.
Notably, while the investigation remains open, the DOJ has not accused any of these figures of any wrongdoing.
Along with the indictment, the DOJ seized 32 internet domains allegedly used by Russia to impersonate American media outlets in a bid to influence voters in elections, including the 2024 presidential contest between Vice President Kamala Harris and President Donald Trump.
“Both of the schemes I have just discussed make clear the ends to which the Russian government — including at its highest levels — is willing to go to undermine our democratic process,” Garland claimed at a round-table on Wednesday.
