The United States has accused and sanctioned Russian state media executives and restricted Kremlin-linked television stations over Moscow's massive campaign to interfere in the US presidential election.
The US Department of Justice , Department of State and Department of the Treasury announced coordinated actions on September 4 to counter Russian interference activities.
According to the BBC, US Attorney General Merrick Garland accused Russia's RT station of paying a Tennessee company $10 million to "create and distribute content containing messages from the Russian government to American audiences."
RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan is among 10 people sanctioned by the US for allegedly trying to undermine public trust in US institutions. RT has denied any involvement.
The US Attorney General said Moscow wanted to get the desired result when the White House race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris took place.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Russia wants to undermine international support for Ukraine, bolster pro-Russian interests and policies, and influence American voters. According to Kirby, much of Russia's disinformation efforts are directed and funded by RT. "RT is no longer just a propaganda arm of the Kremlin, it is used to advance Russia's covert influence operations."
Meanwhile, a US Treasury official said that RT and other Russian state media were engaged in a covert campaign to secretly recruit influential Americans to support their operations.
US officials warn that more foreign adversaries are trying to interfere in the country's elections since Russia's efforts in 2016.
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