Singles out Russia for meddling

State Dept. singles out Russia for meddling in U.S. democracy

By JUDAH TAYLOR

The State Department on Wednesday called out Russia in warning against foreign interference in U.S. democracy, a day after the White House declined to do so.

“We demand that Russia and all other malign actors immediately cease this reckless behavior,” Heather Nauert, a department spokeswoman, said in a statement. “As President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Secretary Pompeo have said repeatedly, the United States will not tolerate foreign, including Russian, attempts to subvert our democratic processes and institutions.”

Nauert was referring a Facebook announcement on Tuesday that it had closed more than two dozen “inauthentic” accounts and pages waging a disruption campaign ahead of the midterm elections.

The social media giant was unable to directly tie the accounts to Russia, but said that they were connected to others used by Russian hackers to meddle in the 2016 election and that both sets of accounts engaged in similar activities.

Nauert’s statement commended Facebook for its action, adding, “We urge all technology companies to take an aggressive approach to this insidious problem.”

The White House on Tuesday praised Facebook’s response but did not point the finger at Russia — or any other actor — despite many other congressional Republicans doing so. Trump has been criticized for his varying positions on Russian interference, but has repeatedly said his administration has been tougher on the country compared with other presidents.