The Justice Department indicted an American commentator for Russian television on Thursday as part of a broader effort by the government to crack down on Russia’s attempts to influence American politics ahead of November’s presidential election.

Dimitri K. Simes, who was an adviser to Donald J. Trump’s first presidential campaign, and his wife, Anastasia Simes, were charged with violating economic sanctions against Russia for their work for Channel One, a state-owned television network.

The indictments come as the United States has been cracking down on Russian efforts to spread content from Russian broadcasters among American audiences, often by disguising its origins. Mr. Simes, who owns a home with his wife in Virginia but currently lives in Russia, has hosted a political talk show since 2022 on the network four nights a week on the network and another on Sundays.

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    • Deceptichum@quokk.au
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      2 months ago

      For fucks sake, can you stop going around trying to make everything a personal remark against me. You’re a mod in this community, act like it.

      I was simply wanting to know what the reasoning could be, I even suggested some of what I was thinking and was hoping someone might be able to provide some genuine insight into the reasoning behind this timing. I cannot see why it didn’t make sense not to take this seriously years ago, so there must be a reason to only act a few months out.