FBI pushes back on alleged false claims videos

The FBI on Wednesday said three videos claiming to be from the bureau that called into question the integrity of the U.S. presidential election on Tuesday were false and inauthentic. It called them the latest in a series of fake videos claiming to be from the FBI while spreading rumors about nonexistent issues with election integrity.

What sorts of videos were these? One of the videos the FBI criticized Wednesday claimed authorities were investigating more than 300 cases of electors receiving bribes. Another video claimed an American social media company had reported that separatist groups’ videos were trending on social media and had garnered an audience of roughly 40 million accounts, the FBI said. That video went on to falsely claim that the FBI required that the accounts be blocked, the agency said. Another video alleged that the bureau was investigating voter buying schemes taking place with ballots at overseas military bases.

The bureau’s Wednesday statement also criticized a fourth video. That one allegedly contained a fabricated news clip saying that federal authorities were urging newsrooms across the country not to publish information about widespread voter bribery. The FBI denied the video’s claims and insisted it was a fabrication.

All four videos were not from the FBI, were not authentic, and contained false information, the bureau said. The agency urged all interested persons to seek information about elections from their local elections offices and to report suspicious activity to local law enforcement.

Dig deeper: Listen to Paul Butler and Harrison Watter’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about social media disinformation.