Ariz., Penn. government officials say foreign adversaries are spreading misinformation

Two state officials in the battleground states of Arizona and Pennsylvania warned American voters Sunday that foreign adversaries are trying to sow distrust in U.S. democracy by providing misinformation about noncitizens. Voting in the 2024 presidential election.

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Pennsylvania Commonwealth Secretary Al Schmidt were asked on CBS’ “Face the Nation” about U.S. intelligence showing Russia used a fake video and online posts to fake the video. -citizens voting federal election.

“It is clear that malicious foreign actors are trying to undermine confidence in the election results,” Schmidt said. “To anyone from Bucks County with many years of experience in election administration, the video you mentioned was obviously fake. But if you don’t, it is very easy for people to somehow be duped by others who seek to undermine confidence in our system of government.”

Foreign adversaries “want to sow distrust in our democracy” and further divide Americans, Fontes said, adding that much of this “misinformation” originates from outside the United States and is then amplified by people in America who aid those enemies.

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Schmidt noted that voter fraud is “incredibly rare” and “how easy it is to catch.” (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

“The suggestion that this is something that could change an election or is much bigger than it is is the nonsense that we are dealing with,” Fontes said. “And unfortunately we still have candidates. elected officials and people with big megaphones are lying. “They are lying directly to the American public and basically playing useful idiots.”

Fontes called claims of non-citizen voting in federal elections “absurd” and misinformation. (Reuters/Rebecca Noble, File)

Fontes also encouraged Americans to “stop being” “a Russian puppet” and “looking at the people who actually do the work.”

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“Ask them what really happened and follow the facts instead of amplifying the lies of foreign enemies,” he said.

Schmidt and Fontes warned Americans that foreign adversaries are sowing distrust in our system of democracy by using misinformation about non-citizen voting in federal elections. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Schmidt noted that voter fraud is “incredibly rare” and “how easy it is to catch.”

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“The system has protections tooth and nail to ensure that voter fraud is detected, investigated and responsibly prosecuted in the few cases that do occur,” he said.