Biden admin sanctions Russian group that allegedly made fake Tim Walz sexual assault video

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Tuesday announced new sanctions against Russians accused of producing a bogus video spreading sexual assault allegations against Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.

Walz, the governor of Minnesota, was accused in October by a purported former student of inappropriate touching and kissing while Walz was a school teacher — but the allegation, which used the real name of a former student at the school, fell apart when the actual alum came forward and said it was an AI fake.

The Treasury Department said it’s sanctioning the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise and its director Valery Mikhaylovich Korovin over the video, which remains viewable on X — meaning the targets will have any assets frozen that are within grasp of US officials.

CGE “manipulated a video it used to produce baseless accusations concerning a 2024 vice presidential candidate in an effort to sow discord amongst the U.S. electorate,” the Treasury Department said in its announcement.

The entity also allegedly created a network of phony news websites to distribute doctored content.

“CGE and its personnel used generative AI tools to quickly create disinformation that would be distributed across a massive network of websites designed to imitate legitimate news outlets to create false corroboration between the stories, as well as to obfuscate their Russian origin,” the department said.

“The GRU provided CGE and a network of U.S.-based facilitators with financial support to: build and maintain its AI-support server; maintain a network of at least 100 websites used in its disinformation operations; and contribute to the rent cost of the apartment where the server is housed.”

The Biden administration also announced sanctions Tuesday against an Iranian group, the Cognitive Design Production Center, for allegedly plotting “influence operations designed to incite socio-political tensions among the U.S. electorate in the lead up to the 2024 U.S. elections.”

Russian judge Olesya Mendeleeva additionally faces new US sanctions for ordering the detention of Moscow city councilor Alexei Gorinov.