The allegation that Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), the Democratic vice presidential candidate, had an inappropriate relationship with a student was Russian disinformation that Russian “influence actors” propagated, according to the U.S. intelligence community.
A man claiming to be a former student of Walz accused the governor of sexual assault, though he was seemingly an imposter who used the identity of a former student of Walz. The actual former student confirmed his identity to the Washington Post, as well as that the story was false and that he was not the man in the video detailing the allegations.
“The intelligence community assesses that Russian influence actors created and amplified content alleging inappropriate activity committed by the Democratic vice presidential candidate during his earlier career,” an official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence told reporters on Tuesday.
“The intelligence community reviewed media associated with this effort, and in doing so, it revealed several indicators of manipulation that are consistent with the influence efforts and tactics of Russian actors this cycle,” the official continued, adding that the intelligence community analyzed the video and found it to be “consistent” with “Russian influence actors seeking to undermine the Democratic presidential ticket by fabricating allegations against them.”
The former student, named Matthew Metro, said the man in the video is “obviously not me,” adding, “The teeth are different, the hair is different, the eyes are different, the nose is different. I don’t know where they’re getting this from.”
X eventually added labels beneath the video indicating the content had been manipulated but not before the video was seen by millions of people.
The ODNI’s assessment comes two weeks ahead of Election Day.
Russia, China, and Iran have attempted to interfere in the election by spreading misinformation about it and the candidates and by trying to sow division in America’s electorate.
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The intelligence community expects U.S. adversaries to continue these efforts through Election Day and up to the inauguration of the next president and believes they will seek to cause distrust in the results of the presidential election. Some of Russia’s influence efforts include attempting to incite violence, questioning the validity of democracy as a system, and amplifying false information and conspiracy theories.
“In particular, Iran and Russia are probably willing to at least consider tactics that would contribute to such violence. Foreign adversaries have demonstrated a willingness to encourage participation in non-election-related protests and may extend this practice,” the official explained.