The Chinese Communist Party interfered in the US election and slandered anti-communist congressmen

 Direct translation

Microsoft's new research: The Chinese Communist Party interfered in the US election and slandered anti-communist congressmen

Reporter : Xia Yu / Editor : Li Huanyu / https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/24/10/23/n14356577.htm / Image : The picture shows that on 15 October 2024, at an early voting location in Atlanta, Georgia, voters voted on the first day of early voting. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)

On Wednesday (23 October 2024), Microsoft released a new study showing that an army of social media robots controlled by the Chinese Communist Party is trying to influence the United States general election, targeting voters in Alabama, Texas and Tennessee, while slandering anti-communist federal lawmakers such as Marco Rubio.

On Wednesday, Microsoft published a blog post saying that with two weeks to go until Election Day in 2024, the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) observed continued influence from Russia, Iran, and the Chinese Communist Party aimed at undermining the U.S. democratic process.

Microsoft emphasized that the Chinese Communist Party’s influence activities mainly target low-ballot candidates and members of Congress. The article writes that the CCP’s influence operations focus on discrediting lower-level Republican candidates and members of Congress who advocate anti-communist policies. Including targeting Alabama U.S. Representative Barry Moore, Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn, Texas U.S. Representative Michael McCaul and Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, both Republicans.

The blog post said Chinese influence operators parroted anti-Semitic messages, exaggerated corruption claims and promoted opposition candidates.

Researchers said that the organization responsible for this incident is called "Taizi Flood" and was previously associated with the Ministry of Public Security of the Communist Party of China. The Microsoft report noted that these lawmakers were targeted because they had denounced the policies of the Chinese Communist government in the past.

The social media bots also criticized Barry Moore for his support of Israel and used anti-Semitic language. Another related account collectively denigrated Marco Rubio's involvement in financial corruption schemes. The bots also expanded support for Marsha Blackburn's opponent in the election while spreading claims that she received money from pharmaceutical companies. Regarding Texas Congressman Michael McCaul, the CCP promoted the claim that he engaged in insider trading.

Moore, McCaul and Blackburn are all up for re-election next month. Rubio serves as vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and will not run for re-election until 2028.

Microsoft researchers found that China’s influence efforts did not result in “high levels of engagement,” but indicated China’s continued attempts to influence all aspects of U.S. politics.

The report also did not provide an indicator of how many Americans viewed the social media posts in question.

Reuters reported that Congressman Moore’s spokesperson Madison Green said that Moore’s office was aware of the Chinese Communist Party’s influence campaign.

"We know the Chinese Communist Party is anti-Semitic, so it's not surprising that they are targeting me and other pro-Israel politicians in an attempt to sow division before the most important election of our lifetimes," Moore said.

"China has made it clear that they will use every weapon in their arsenal, including offensive cyber capabilities, to try to destroy democracy around the world," he added.

In August this year, the cybersecurity company Recorded Future released a report showing that the Chinese Communist Party, Iran and Russia are all conducting influence operations aimed at interfering in the 2024 election.

The report found that state-backed actors "amplified specific content and highlighted polarizing domestic issues" in an effort to sow discord among Americans. These topics include: "Black Lives Matter" (BLM), campus protests, and U.S. foreign policy toward Israel and Ukraine. 

(This article refers to reports from Reuters)