US State Department Says Behind Russian, Iranian Text Campaign

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The State Department stands behind text messages sent to Russians, Iranians, and others advertising multi-million dollar rewards for information about foreign actors who interfere in US elections, a spokesperson said.

“The US Department of State’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program is advertising a reward offer through SMS messages and a variety of other communications tools and techniques. Our SMS messages refer back to the verified official Rewards for Justice social media accounts, which are available in multiple languages”, the spokesperson said on Friday.

The State Department spokesperson pointed out that the campaign is a worldwide effort in multiple languages.

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States launched the Rewards for Justice program, which offers rewards for up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of malign actors who interfere in US elections.

National Counterintelligence and Security Centre Director William Evanina earlier on Friday accused Russia of using various measures to attempt to denigrate Democratic candidate Joe Biden in the upcoming presidential election.

Russia has repeatedly said that it does not interfere in the US political system, noting that the alleged activities go counter to principles of the country’s foreign policy.