FBI searching Delmar home of ex-UN weapons inspector Ritter https://wnyt.com/top-stories/fbi-searching-delmar-home-of-ex-un-weapons-inspector-ritter/
Something is rotten with Scott Ritter. The raid on his home appears to be related to the recent actions taken against other Russians such as Demitri Simes with residences in the U.S. Basically, these Russians and Scott Ritter have been running spying and influence operations in the U.S. All of them work for Russian news outlets and nearly all have relations with the previous Trump administration. FBI raids US home of Russian-born analyst who advised Trump in 2016 Dimitri Simes, whose name appeared prominently in Mueller report, ‘puzzled and concerned’ by raid in Virginia https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/16/fbi-raid-dmitri-simes-trump
More news on the investigation of the Russian spying and influence operation. Something is rotten in Washington -- Scott Ritter and Dimitri Simes. US investigates American commentators with ties to Russian state TV, NYT reports https://kyivindependent.com/us-inve...rs-with-ties-to-russian-state-tv-nyt-reports/ The United States Justice Department (DOJ) has opened an investigation into U.S. citizens working with Russian state news outlets, the New York Times (NYT) reported on Aug. 21, citing officials briefed on the investigation. The investigation aims to mitigate the Kremlin's interference in the November presidential election, according to the NYT. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) this month searched the homes of two prominent commentators, Scott Ritter, a former U.N. weapons inspector, and Dimitri Simes, an adviser to former President Donald Trump. Prosecutors have not brought charges against either party. The officials told the NYT that more FBI raids are expected, and that criminal charges are possible. U.S. intelligence officials issued a warning on July 9 that Russia has plans to wage information campaigns against U.S. voters during the presidential election. Russia has been accused of using social media disinformation, bot farms, and other means to back Donald Trump against his Democratic opponents – Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden – during the 2016 and 2020 elections. Trump is running for president a third time, and will face off against Vice President Kamala Harris in November. U.S. intelligence officials said they "have not observed a shift in Russia's preferences for the presidential race from past elections." Ritter, whose home was raided by the FBI but who was not arrested, is a contributing writer for the Russian state news outlet RT. He also traveled to Russia and Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine in January. The DOJ in 2017 required RT to register as a foreign agent, not a news organization, due to the Russian government's control over the agency. Ritter claimed that the warrant to search his home referenced the Foreign Agent Registration Act. Ritter is a vocal proponent of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Simes, a U.S. citizen who immigrated from the Soviet Union in 1973, has advised former U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon and Trump, and advocated for improved relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Since October 2022, Simes has lived in Russia, where he hosts a weekly talk show on state television. He is reportedly under investigation for possible violations of U.S. sanctions against Russia. U.S. Investigating Americans Who Worked With Russian State Television https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/21/technology/us-fbi-russia-election-disinformation.html The F.B.I. raided the homes of two prominent commentators on Russian state television channels as part of an effort to blunt attempts to influence November’s election. The Department of Justice has begun a broad criminal investigation into Americans who have worked with Russia’s state television networks, signaling an aggressive effort to combat the Kremlin’s influence operations leading up to the presidential election in November, according to American officials briefed on the inquiry. This month, F.B.I. agents searched the homes of two prominent figures with connections to Russian state media: Scott Ritter, a former United Nations weapons inspector and critic of American foreign policy, and Dimitri K. Simes, an adviser to former President Donald J. Trump’s first presidential campaign in 2016. Prosecutors have not announced charges against either of the men. More searches are expected soon, some of the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss investigations. Criminal charges are also possible, they said. The investigation comes in the wake of the Biden administration’s official intelligence findings that Russia’s state news organizations, including the global news channel RT, are working with its intelligence agencies to sway elections around the world. Those efforts include November’s contest between Mr. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. For a third time, according to the officials and public statements, the Kremlin’s propaganda apparatus has thrown itself behind Mr. Trump’s candidacy, creating online news outlets and fake videos to denigrate President Biden and, more recently, Ms. Harris. The investigation so far has focused on potential violations of the economic sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine and a law that requires the disclosure of lobbying efforts on behalf of foreign governments. (More at above url)