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 …