Treasury Sanctions Russia-Linked Election Interference Actors
Last edited Thu Sep 10, 2020, 10:41 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Press Release
September 10, 2020
Washington – Today, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated four Russia-linked individuals for attempting to influence the U.S. electoral process. Russia uses a variety of proxies to attempt to sow discord between political parties and drive internal divisions to influence voters as part of Moscow’s broader efforts to undermine democratic countries and institutions. In the United States, Russia has used a wide range of influence methods and actors to target our electoral process, including targeting U.S. presidential candidates.
Treasury designated Andrii Derkach (Derkach) pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13848 for his efforts to influence the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Derkach, a Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, has been an active Russian agent for over a decade, maintaining close connections with the Russian Intelligence Services. Derkach has directly or indirectly engaged in, sponsored, concealed, or otherwise been complicit in foreign interference in an attempt to undermine the upcoming 2020 U.S. presidential election. Today’s designation of Derkach is focused on exposing Russian malign influence campaigns and protecting our upcoming elections from foreign interference. This action is a clear signal to Moscow and its proxies that this activity will not be tolerated. The Administration is working across the U.S. Government, and with state, local, and private sector partners, to make the 2020 election secure.
“Andrii Derkach and other Russian agents employ manipulation and deceit to attempt to influence elections in the United States and elsewhere around the world,” said Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. “The United States will continue to use all the tools at its disposal to counter these Russian disinformation campaigns and uphold the integrity of our election system.”
Derkach’s Election Influence Efforts
From at least late 2019 through mid-2020, Derkach waged a covert influence campaign centered on cultivating false and unsubstantiated narratives concerning U.S. officials in the upcoming 2020 Presidential Election, spurring corruption investigations in both Ukraine and the United States designed to culminate prior to election day. Derkach’s unsubstantiated narratives were pushed in Western media through coverage of press conferences and other news events, including interviews and statements.
Read more: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1118
Wikipedia noted under "Honors and recognition" that Derkach is an FSB officer who won the FSB Employee of the Year in 2019.
He had been feeding
-- Ron Johnson, WI Senator and Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee (Wisconsin politician),
-- Devin Nunes (Ranking Member House Intelligence Committee), as well as
-- Rudi Giuliani, former New York City Mayor and current (as of Sept 2020) personal attorney to Donald Trump,
false documents in hopes to aid the re-election campaign of President of the United States Donald Trump, was confirmed to be an active FSB officer on September 10, 2020.
Officials in the United States Intelligence Community pushed for sanctions given Russia’s interference in the 2016 US Election had been allowed without repercussions. The US Treasury complied.
Whether Giuliani and/or Johnson were aware they were collaborating with a Russian spy is still unclear. They had been warned in advance, yet chose to continue with their collusion with the FSB agent to jeopardize the upcoming United States Presidential Election.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrii_Derkach
= new reply since forum marked as read
I doubt he'd want to allow that if it affects currency rates of the USD?
