[Photo Credit: by Gage Skidmore]

Biden State Department Labels ‘RT’ as Secret Arm of Russian Government

The State Department reportedly sanctioned the parent company of Russian media outlet RT on Friday for its involvement in covert influence campaigns worldwide.

The company is accused of working on behalf of the Russian government.

“We now know that RT moved beyond being simply a media outlet and has been an entity with cyber capabilities. It is also engaged in information operations, covert influence, and military procurement,” a State Department release read.

Additionally, RT, which was previously known as Russia Today, is accused of overseeing a crowdfunding platform that facilitates the procurement of military equipment and armaments.

The notice follows a Justice Department (DOJ) indictment issued last week, which accused two RT employees of leading a covert influence campaign by partnering with conservative media company Tenet Media to hire a variety of right-wing influencers.

The employees also claimed to be providing funding from a fictitious donor. The two also exercised some degree of editorial control over the organization.

RT has also employed an influencer in France and operates websites in South Africa and Germany, according to the alert.

It has also allegedly been making a variety of efforts to influence the upcoming Moldovan elections.

[READ MORE: Bill O’Reilly Claims Trump ‘Can’t Discipline Himself’ to Not Take the Bait]

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