Pro-Trump blogger admits to taking money from Russia to post fake news about US election – CNN
An influential US blogger who supports presidential candidate Donald Trump has revealed that he received US$100 from a Russian propagandist for publishing a fake video of Haitian immigrants allegedly voting in the US presidential election.
Source: CNN
Details: The blogger said that the payment was one of several he received from "a registered Russian agent" to post on social media ahead of the election.
The pro-Trump influencer writes posts on platform X (Twitter) and has an account @AlphaFox78. He is an American who lives in Massachusetts. The Haitian immigrant claims in his fake video that he will vote at least twice in the state of Georgia for Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Secretary of State of Georgia refuted this recording. He said that everything in the video was fake – it was made by Russian influencers using Russian actors.
The blogger said that he had been paid US$100 by Russian propagandist podcaster Simeon Boikov, known on the Internet as AussieCossack. An individual aware of the situation confirmed to CNN that several payments had been sent from Boikov to the blogger in Massachusetts.
Documents reviewed by CNN show that Boykov is a registered foreign agent for Russia in Australia, where he works for Russian state media, posting online in English and Russian.
Boikov is known to have recently been granted Russian citizenship and is currently seeking asylum at the Russian consulate in Sydney. He has a history of publishing pro-Kremlin disinformation. An investigation by CNN found that Boikov had played a certain role in Russian disinformation campaigns, including those aimed at the 2024 US presidential election.
Sources in the US and European intelligence told CNN that the Russian disinformation network produces staged propaganda videos that are later promoted by US influencers on social media.
Background: On Tuesday, 5 November, the US presidential election is taking place. Americans are choosing between former President Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris.
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