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Georgia official says video of alleged voter fraud likely created by a Russian troll farm
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said a video purporting to show Haitians claiming that they illegally voted for Kamala Harris is fake and likely the work of a Russian troll farm.
In the video posted to social media on Thursday, a man claims that he and others featured in the footage are from Haiti, arrived in the United States six months ago, obtained U.S. citizenship within that time, and are voting for Kamala Harris in multiple Georgia counties.
“Yesterday, we voted in Gwinnett County, and today we’re voting in Fulton County,” the man says. “We have all our documents, driver’s license. We invite all Haitians to come to America and bring families.”
Raffensperger said his office was working with state and federal partners to identify the origin of the video and urged X owner Elon Musk and the “leadership of other social media platforms” to remove the video.
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, told CBS News it was aware of the footage and working with federal government partners to investigate further.
Darren Linvill, an expert on Russian disinformation and co-director of the Media Forensics Hub at Clemson University, told CBS News the video has striking similarities to previous videos released by a Russian influence group known as Storm-1516.
The video was posted to an anonymous X account that has previously shared Russian disinformation, Linvill said. Storm-1516 has been linked to other fabricated videos, including footage that was falsely said to show election workers ripping up ballots in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
The group has also published videos with false claims about Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, according to researchers and officials.
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A shark bit a Maui surfer Friday morning and severed his leg, authorities said.
The man, 61, was surfing off Waiehu Beach Park Friday morning in a surf spot known as Sand Piles when a shark bit him,” Maui County said in a news release.
Police officers who arrived to the scene first tried to control the bleeding with tourniquets. His leg was “completely severed just below the knee,” officials said.
Witnesses told CBS affiliate Hawaii News Now that other surfers helped the man swim back to shore.
“I heard this yell and I looked, and all of a sudden I just seen him splash, and I don’t know what was happening,” witness David Basques told Hawaii News Now. “…He swam himself back maybe more than half the way, and then I seen somebody jump in and they went bring him inside.”
The man was alert while being treated on shore and then taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition.
“I would like to commend the patient for his strength and wherewithal, getting himself to shore,” Maui Fire Department Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea told reporters, according to KGMB. “I mean, that’s extraordinary. Whatever Good Samaritans offered assistance, I’d like to commend them as well.”
The incident prompted officials to close the beach park. Officials warned people to stay out of the water in the area. The public warning to stay out of the water for a mile in each direction of the incident will be in effect until at least noon Saturday. The warning will be extended if there is a shark sighting in the area.
Maui fire and ocean safety officials were patrolling the waters using rescue watercraft and a drone. State officials provided shark warning signs and helped with cordoning off the area.
There were no details provided on what kind of shark was involved.
In June, well-known surfer Tamayo Perry was killed in a shark attack while surfing off Oahu’s North Shore.