Charges, sanctions revive specter of Russian interference

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Thursday charged a Russian national in a sweeping plot to sow distrust in the American political process and imposed sanctions against a Russia-linked Ukrainian lawmaker accused of interfering in the U.S. presidential election.

Those actions, combined with a Microsoft announcement on hacking attempts targeting both the campaigns of President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden, underscore the extent to which the same cyber intrusions and foreign influence operations that defined the 2016 White House race remain a persistent concern today.

They also reflect a dichotomy in the administration. with officials taking aim at Russian interference in the political process even as Trump expresses doubt about Russian meddling. In the case of the sanctions, officials denounced audio recordings that had been released by the Ukrainian lawmaker and promoted by Trump on Twitter.

The criminal charges accuse Artem Mikhaylovich Lifshits of serving as a translation manager in a Russian effort that since at least 2014 has tried to disrupt the American political system and spread distrust about candidates. Members of the initiative, known as Project Lakhta, traveled to the United States to collect intelligence and operated bogus social media accounts that could pump out messaging to millions of Americans on divisive social issues.

The group operated through entities including the Internet Research Agency, the Russian troll farm charged by special counsel Robert Mueller with stirring up discord before the 2016 election. Its posts touched on topics including gun rights, immigration, the Confederate flag and race relations, according to a complaint charging Lifshits with using the stolen identities of Americans to open fake accounts at banks and digital currency exchanges.

.

..