State Department slams Russian publication RT for 'covert influence activities'

The U.S. State Department on Friday announced new sanctions against the Russian publication "RT," which it accused as operating beyond the press as an entity of the Russian government.

The State Department said the publication, previously known as "Russia Today," has carried out cyber operations in Europe, Africa, and North and South America. It also alleged that the publication operates a crowdfunding site that helps the former Soviet country procure weapons and other military equipment from China.

“We are not taking action against these entities and individuals for the content of their reporting, or even the disinformation they create and spread publicly," the State Department said in a statement. "We are taking action against them for their covert influence activities. Covert influence activities are not journalism. The United States will always stand for freedom of expression, including for those with whom we disagree."

"We encourage dissent, open debate, and free discourse. But we will not stand for attempts by state actors to carry out covert activities with the goal of hijacking that discourse," it added.

The news comes on the heels of an indictment against two RT employees, whom the Justice Department believes teamed up with the conservative media company Tenet Media to spread disinformation through right-wing influencers regarding the presidential election.

“We know that for over two years, RT has leveraged its extensive state funding to covertly recruit and pay social media personalities and provide them with unbranded content to disseminate and promote around the world while hiding RT’s involvement,” the department said.

The publication playfully denied the allegations in a statement on its website, jokingly responding that they were actually reporting out of the Russian KGB'S headquarters, according to The Hill.

“No, but seriously, we’re running out of popcorn to sit and watch what the US government will come up with next about us," it added.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.