Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian agency: Russia will conduct a nuclear test if the US does
Al-Nakhalah: We are the rightful owners, and we must fight to retrieve our rights
Al-Nakhalah: The enemy and its allies must know that we can never surrender to their terms and diktats after all the sacrifices made
Al-Nakhalah: The prisoner exchange clause can be completed in the next few days, and thus we will have pulled the [explosion] fuse and removed the enemy's justifications for aggression
Al-Nakhalah: The Resistance has expressed its willingness to negotiate on the basis that there are items that can be dealt with positively, the first of which is the prisoner exchange item
Al-Nakhalah: Trump's plan entails the Palestinian people's declaration of complete surrender to the enemy
PIJ Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, in an address aired on Al Mayadeen: The Resistance is engaging in a fierce negotiating battle under the so-called Trump plan
Russian Federation Council approves joint military cooperation agreement with Cuba
Al-Nunu: Today, the lists of prisoners required to be released, the agreed-upon criteria and numbers, were exchanged
Al-Nunu from Sharm el-Sheikh: Negotiations focused on mechanisms for implementing an end to the war, the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of prisoners

FBI cracks downs on US citizens to prevent 'Kremlin influence'

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 22 Aug 2024 14:09
  • 1 Shares
4 Min Read

The FBI is conducting raids and crackdowns on US "individuals intentionally spreading disinformation from Moscow" due to their link to Russian media.

Listen
  • x
  • FBI headquarters in Washington, DC, on August 15, 2022. (AFP)
    FBI headquarters in Washington, DC, on August 15, 2022. (AFP)

The FBI is targeting US citizens in connection with Russian media in an attempt to allegedly combat "Kremlin influence" ahead of the upcoming presidential elections in November, sources told The New York Times.

The security agency conducted raids on the homes of former UN weapons inspector and RT contributor Scott Ritter, and US-Soviet-born policy analyst, and author Dmitri K. Simes who hosts a local Russian television show, as part of a "broad criminal investigation" to combat "Kremlin influence operations," the New York Times reported Wednesday, citing anonymous US officials. 

The government aims to organize more raids and issue criminal charges, the sources added, despite no charges being brought against Ritter and Simes.

The New York Times reported that law enforcement officials are targeting “individuals intentionally spreading disinformation from Moscow,” highlighting that the probe could “bump up against the First Amendment’s protection of rights to free speech.”

Ritter and Simes critique US official policies

Ritter and Simes are both devout critics of US foreign policy under President Joe Biden's administration and blame the US administration for falsely villainizing Russia and increasing the risk of a nuclear war.

Due to their political beliefs and criticism of the government, the FBI has suspected the US citizens of potentially violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which requires transparency from people in the US representing foreign governments, as well as sanctions on Russia.

Related News

Trump urges arrest of Illinois Dems over resisting troops

US travel industry loses $1B amid prolonged government shutdown

“The US government works overtime to stigmatize any journalism possessing connectivity with Russia,” Ritter said in a recent opinion article on RT this week. He detailed the main reason he contributes to Russian media is due to US media's compliance with US foreign policy.

“It clearly is an attempt to intimidate, not only somebody from Russia, but just anyone who goes against official policies and particularly against the deep state,” Simes told Sputnik last week after his family home in Virginia was raided.

FBI raids home of analyst Dimitri Simes, Russia dubs it 'witch-hunt'

FBI agents raided on August 13 the Virginia home of Dimitri Simes, who advised Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and currently hosts a program on Russia’s Channel One.

The raid, initially reported by Rappahannock News, had cited the FBI as their source of information.

Simes, who was abroad at the time, stated he had not been notified about the search in advance and was unaware of any ongoing investigation involving him.

Simes' name has been mentioned over 100 times in the 2019 Mueller report on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.
 
"I’m puzzled and concerned," he said, before adding, "I have not seen a warrant. I was not contacted by any law enforcement or anyone else whatsoever."

More significantly, Simes told Sputnik, "My suspicion is that instead of trying to get me to come to the United States and to interrogate me or even to arrest me, their real purpose is to make sure that I would not come back."

On his part, Simes' son Dimitri Simes Jr. told Sputnik that his father has not been to the US since 2022.

In a tweet on X, Jr. wrote: "The Biden regime is terrified of being called out over Ukraine and Israel," adding, "Elements of Biden regime are trying to disrupt any possibility for de-escalation with Russia and plunge America into World War III."

  • United States
  • Russia
  • US
  • US elections 2024
  • USA
  • Russian Media
  • Scott Ritter
  • Dmitri Simes
  • FBI
  • FBI raid
  • Journalism

Most Read

Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025
Al-Quds Brigades strike a command and control center north of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, in an undated screengrab from the al-Quds Brigades military media

Gaza resistance announces major operations against Israeli forces

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Retired Israeli General Brik says Israel has reached point of no return.
Politics

Retired Israeli General Brik: 'Israel has reached point of no return'

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation
Politics

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation

Gaza’s newborns gasp for life as hospitals collapse amid Israeli war
Health

Gaza newborns gasp for life, share oxygen masks amid collapsed system

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls
Politics

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS