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Russian disinformation groups likely orchestrated baseless claims targeting Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, falsely accusing the vice presidential candidate of sexually assaulting his students while he was a high school teacher, according to assessments by the U.S. intelligence community, independent researchers and a CBS News analysis.
At least four separate claims have spread since early October, racking up millions of views on social media platforms including X, owned by Elon Musk. Darren Linvill, co-director of the Media Forensics Hub at Clemson University, said at least two of the claims seem to be directly linked to Storm-1516, a Kremlin-aligned troll farm.
A Tuesday report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence says the intelligence community found Russian disinformation groups were behind recent “manufactured and amplified inauthentic content claiming illegal activity” targeting Walz’s earlier career.
The claims
The initial claim emerged on Oct. 5 during a Rumble livestream, where an anonymous man said Walz abused him when he was a Future Leaders Exchange, or FLEX, Program student in Minnesota from 2004 to 2005. The man, whose voice appears altered, was interviewed by John Mark Dougan, a former Florida sheriff’s deputy living in Russia with alleged ties to disinformation campaigns.
This was the first sign that the claim was created by Russian disinformation groups, Linvill said.
“To have [Dougan] out there being interviewed on this story is basically a neon sign saying that maybe it’s connected to Russia. Not only do I think Russia is behind these stories, I think Russia wants us to know that they’re behind these stories,” he said.
Both the U.S. State Department and FLEX told CBS News they have no record “of any FLEX student from Kazakhstan in Mankato area schools from 2000 through 2020.” Mel Helling, the communications director for Mankato Area Public Schools, told CBS News they have no record of the allegations. NewsGuard first reported the claim.
When contacted by CBS News, Dougan claimed he has the alleged victim’s U.S. visa and the FLEX Program certificate. CBS News reviewed the documents and found several inconsistencies: The date of birth on the visa does not match the age the alleged victim stated in the livestream and the certificate has an incorrect logo on it.
The claims were picked up by other accounts that are not linked to Russian disinformation. On Oct. 12, an X account credited as Matt Wallace posted a Rumble video where he claimed without evidence that Walz may have acted inappropriately with the students during trips to China. The video was later removed and the user did not respond to a request for comment.
A third claim surfaced on Oct. 13 when an X account dubbed “Black Insurrectionist” posted grainy screenshots of supposed emails alleging Walz’s misconduct with a minor at a concert in 1995.
The supposed emails appeared manipulated. Among the clues was a comma in the date-time stamp that is not typically found in emails. “Black Insurrectionist” later deleted their account. Researchers have not linked this account to Russian disinformation.
On Oct. 16, another claim circulated when a man purporting to be Matthew Metro, a former Mankato West High School student, posted a video alleging Walz sexually assaulted him in 1997.
However, The Washington Post and AFP reported that a man named Matthew Metro did attend the school but the person in the video is not him. The Post interviewed Metro, who said he never met Walz.
Hany Farid, a professor at University of California, Berkeley, who specializes in manipulated media, said he believes the video was not created using AI; rather, he believes it is a “cheap fake,” in which a man is impersonating someone else.
A disinformation pattern
The video resembles the work of Storm-1516, Linvill said. The disinformation group previously promoted a false claim that Vice President Kamala Harris was involved in a hit-and-run incident, according to a report by Microsoft.
“Suggestions of sexual deviance in various forms are a favorite theme of Storm-1516,” said Linvill. “This campaign has recently turned from a focus primarily on the war in Ukraine to more frequent targeting of the Harris-Walz campaign.”
Linvill said versions of the Walz allegations appear to be a Storm-1516 “narrative laundering campaign,” a process of presenting false claims in a way that makes them appear credible. This often includes presenting the claims through a person who claims to be a victim.
CBS News reached out to X and Rumble for comment but has not heard back as of publication.
Georgia’s Supreme Court rejected a Republican-led effort to implement more than half a dozen controversial new election rules before Election Day.
In a brief order issued Tuesday, the court declined to reinstate the seven new rules implemented by the State Election Board, and declined to consider an expedited appeal — effectively ending the effort to get the new rules in place in time for the upcoming election.
A lower level Georgia judge on Oct. 16 declared the rules “illegal, unconstitutional and void.” The rules, which include one that requires ballots to be hand-counted and two related to certification of results, were supported by three of the State Election Board’s five members, all of whom were endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
President Biden defeated Trump in the state in 2020, and Trump has since repeated disproven claims that fraud cost him the election.
The new rules were opposed by not just Democrats, but also state Republican officials who cast doubt on whether they were legal. They said a hand count could delay election results, and argued in court that it was too late to properly train election workers on the new responsibilities.
Other rules passed by the board — include one that would have required county officials “to examine all election related documentation created during the conduct of elections,” a potentially laborious process — and another that would have required them to conduct a “reasonable inquiry” before certifying results. That rule did not explain what a “reasonable inquiry” entails.
The Georgia Supreme Court didn’t outright reject the appeal. In the order Tuesday, the court said it is declining to fast forward proceedings.
“When the appeal is docketed in this court, it will proceed in the ordinary course,” the justices wrote.
Georgia’s Supreme Court rejected a Republican-led effort to implement more than half a dozen controversial new election rules before Election Day.
In a brief order issued Tuesday, the court declined to reinstate the seven new rules implemented by the State Election Board, and declined to consider an expedited appeal — effectively ending the effort to get the new rules in place in time for the upcoming election.
A lower level Georgia judge on Oct. 16 declared the rules “illegal, unconstitutional and void.” The rules, which include one that requires ballots to be hand-counted and two related to certification of results, were supported by three of the State Election Board’s five members, all of whom were endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
President Biden defeated Trump in the state in 2020, and Trump has since repeated disproven claims that fraud cost him the election.
The new rules were opposed by not just Democrats, but also state Republican officials who cast doubt on whether they were legal. They said a hand count could delay election results, and argued in court that it was too late to properly train election workers on the new responsibilities.
Other rules passed by the board — include one that would have required county officials “to examine all election related documentation created during the conduct of elections,” a potentially laborious process — and another that would have required them to conduct a “reasonable inquiry” before certifying results. That rule did not explain what a “reasonable inquiry” entails.
The Georgia Supreme Court didn’t outright reject the appeal. In the order Tuesday, the court said it is declining to fast forward proceedings.
“When the appeal is docketed in this court, it will proceed in the ordinary course,” the justices wrote.
Russian disinformation groups promoting false claims about Gov. Tim Walz, experts say
Georgia Supreme Court won’t step in to reinstate controversial election rules
Georgia Supreme Court won’t step in to reinstate controversial election rules
Russian disinformation groups promoting false claims about Gov. Tim Walz, experts say
Georgia Supreme Court won’t step in to reinstate controversial election rules