A viral video appearing to show mail-in ballots being destroyed in a Pennsylvania suburb is a Russian hoax, US intelligence officials say. The deception is part of Russia's campaign to help Donald Trump's presidential campaign, a senior official told USA Today. The video shows a stack of sealed mail ballot envelopes on a table as an unidentified man opens them, tearing up the ballots cast for Trump and returning the ones for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Three US intelligence agencies issued a statement saying that "Russian actors manufactured and amplified" the video. They expect more efforts before the Nov. 5 election in Russia's effort "to undermine trust in the integrity of the election and divide Americans," the statement said. In a briefing, officials said Russia has escalated its campaign to interfere in the election and help Trump's campaign. Russia also is responsible for a video airing false accusations against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris' running mate, and another of a young girl who purportedly was paralyzed in a 2011 hit-and-run car accident involving Harris. Microsoft traced the latter video to a Russian troll farm, per CBS News.
The false ballot cheating video was set in Bucks County, a critical swing county in a critical swing state that both candidates have focused on, per USA Today. The assessment that it's a hoax was confirmed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. They cautioned that the election may not be the end of the Russian campaign, especially if Trump contests the results, as he's suggested he would do if he loses. (More misinformation stories.)
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