A video circulating on social media that accuses Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz of sexual misconduct has been identified as a fabricated piece of disinformation. This video, which purports to show a former student making allegations against Walz, has been debunked by multiple sources and attributed to a Russian disinformation campaign.
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🔍 The Fabricated Video and False Allegations
The video features a man claiming to be "Matthew Metro," a former student at Mankato West High School, alleging that Walz assaulted him in the late 1990s. While Matthew Metro is a real individual who attended the school during that time, he has publicly stated that he is not the person in the video, never had Walz as a teacher, and that the alleged incident never occurred . The video has been labeled as manipulated media by social media platforms, but it continues to circulate online.
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🕵��♂️ Attribution to Russian Disinformation Efforts
U.S. intelligence officials have assessed that the video is part of a broader Russian disinformation campaign aimed at influencing the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The campaign is linked to a Kremlin-aligned group known as Storm-1516, which has a history of producing and disseminating false narratives to undermine Democratic candidates . The fabricated video was initially promoted by John Mark Dougan, a former Florida sheriff's deputy now residing in Russia, who has been associated with previous disinformation activities .
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⚠️ Implications and Ongoing Concerns
The spread of this false video highlights the challenges posed by deepfake technology and coordinated disinformation campaigns in the digital age. Experts warn that such tactics are designed to sow discord and influence public opinion, particularly during critical election periods . Despite efforts by social media platforms to label and remove manipulated content, the persistence of such videos underscores the need for increased vigilance and media literacy among the public.
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