Raffensperger asks X to take down 'false' video purporting to show voter fraud
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) said that his office asked Elon Musk, the owner of X, and the leadership of other social platforms to take down a video purporting to show a Haitian immigrant with multiple Georgia IDs who claimed to have voted multiple times.
The secretary's office said that the video is false and it is working to identify where the video originated. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is also investigating the matter, according to a press release.
"This is false, and is an example of targeted disinformation we’ve seen this election. It is likely foreign interference attempting to sow discord and chaos on the eve of the election," Raffensperger said in a statement on Thursday night.
"In the meantime, we ask Elon Musk and the leadership of other social media platforms to take this down. This is obviously fake and part of a disinformation effort. Likely it is a production of Russian troll farms," Raffensperger added in the statement.
Earlier this year, former President Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, had amplified false claims about Haitian immigrants eating residents' pets in Springfield, Ohio.
The claims are not true and were first spread by a neo-Nazi group. After Trump made the claims on the debate stage, Springfield had to shutter its schools and City Hall repeatedly due to bomb threats.
This comes on the heels of Raffensperger denying last week that there is voting fraud happening in the state as it sees historic early voting turnout this month.
Last week, the National Intelligence Council released a security update warning Americans about foreign election interference.
“Foreign actors — particularly Russia, Iran, and China — remain intent on fanning divisive narratives to divide Americans and undermine Americans’ confidence in the U.S. democratic system consistent with what they perceive to be in their interests, even as their tactics continue to evolve,” the release read.
The council had added that foreign actors would not be able to manipulate the election to impact the outcome without detection.
The Hill has contacted Tesla for a comment from Elon Musk.