US Leaders Dodge Questions About Israel’s Influence Campaign

Federal lawmakers in the US have dodged repeated inquiries over the past week about a covert operation ordered by the Israeli government to artificially boost support among Americans for its war in Gaza. At the same time, senior White House officials charged with advising President Joe Biden on matters of national security are claiming to have no knowledge of the operation—first disclosed publicly more than four months ago.

The operation, formally tied to the Israeli government by a New York Times reporter last week, kicked off in October 2023 following the surprise attack by Hamas in southern Israel. Researchers internationally began work to expose the campaign in February, identifying a flood of “suspicious accounts” on US-based social networking apps, most masquerading as Americans avowing support for the Israeli military response.

In addition to eroding support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which provides assistance to 5.6 million Palestinian refugees, a chief aim of the Israeli operation, researchers say, was to sway the opinions of Black Americans. Per the Times—which cited four current and former Israeli officials in confirming their government had commissioned the campaign—its primary targets included the account of US congressman Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the Democrats in the House, among others who are “Black and Democratic.”

Accounts tied to the operation—many of which, at the time of writing, remain active on X, despite being suspended on other platforms—promoted a Black Lives Matter hashtag and shared images of Martin Luther King Jr. alongside fabricated quotes. A website created for the operation included articles with titles such as “The leaders of the Civil Rights Movement and Their Support of Jewish People and Israel.”

Several examples of accounts used in the operation, many of which were created weeks prior to the Hamas attack on October 7 that killed an estimated 1,200 people, advertised themselves as “Christian.” One of the stolen identities used in the operation, first identified by a researcher in Qatar, was that of Kyle Jean-Baptiste, an up-and-coming Broadway star who died in 2015 after falling from a fire escape.

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Multiple inquiries placed with senior members of Jeffries’ staff, including his communications director, Andy Eichar, have gone unacknowledged for nearly a week. WIRED has attempted to resolve whether Jeffries ever received notification of the operation from US intelligence while Congress was in the midst of debating $14 billion in funding to supplement Israel’s war effort.

Israeli forces have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians since Hamas’ October 7 attack, according to Gaza health officials’ estimates, including dozens last Thursday at a United Nations school compound, where the Israeli military is accused of making “improper use” of a US-made bomb.

With the exception of the White House’s National Security Council, which on Thursday claimed to have no knowledge of the operation, and Senate Intelligence Committee chair Mark Warner, whose office told WIRED it planned to request a briefing on the matter, press inquiries concerning Israel’s attempts to secretly influence US opinion on the war have been met with a stonewall.

It is unclear whether Biden may have received a briefing on the operation that included information not shared with his own national security advisers. Said a spokesperson for the National Security Council: “We take all allegations of foreign malign influence seriously.”

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, led by Avril Haines—formerly No. 2 at the CIA—declined to say whether US intelligence had any knowledge of the operation prior to the June 5 New York Times’ story. It would not reveal whether it issued any notifications to Jeffries or any other US officials targeted by Israel.

The ODNI maintains what it calls a “disclosure framework” for notifying victims of influence operations connected with US elections. It is unclear, however, whether the ODNI considers the operation election-related, despite national elections approaching and the deep political divide among US voters over Congress’ support for the Israeli war effort.

Haines has previously spoken publicly on how US intelligence responds to this scenario: “When relevant intelligence is collected concerning a foreign influence operation aimed at our election,” she said, a “notification framework” exists to ensure “appropriate notice is given to those who are being targeted so that they can take action.”

Multiple attempts to solicit comment over the past week from the House Intelligence Committee have likewise gone unacknowledged by representatives Mike Turner and Jim Himes, the committee’s chair and ranking member, respectively. It is unclear whether they are taking steps similar to their Senate counterparts to investigate the matter.

Many of the Israeli operation’s fake posts were found to have been generated using ChatGPT, the digital assistant software developed by OpenAI, which is being integrated into everything from Apple’s new iPhones to the next Microsoft Windows operating system. Notably, OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, was recently appointed an adviser to the Homeland Security Department. According to the agency, his role is to advise the US government on how to “prevent and prepare for AI-related disruptions.”

Both OpenAI and social media giant Meta have publicly confirmed that the operation was launched by a Tel Aviv–based company called Stoic. Neither US company, however, has disclosed having any knowledge of Stoic being commissioned by the Israeli government.

Oft described as an Israeli “campaign marketing firm,” Stoic is reminiscent of Russia’s Internet Research Agency, which similarly used fake accounts registered on social media to promote the Kremlin’s interests, namely by working to influence the outcome of the 2016 US presidential election. OpenAI disclosed earlier this month that Stoic had similarly been tracked using fraudulent accounts in an effort to influence the outcome of India’s recent elections.

Meta and OpenAI have not responded to requests for comment.

A US intelligence assessment published in February that identified threats from foreign countries accused of launching malign influence operations against the US references Israel dozens of times; however, it strictly portrays the Middle East ally as the victim of such campaigns.

The annual assessment, published by the ODNI three days after Israel’s “multi-platform deception operation” was first revealed publicly by Marc Owen Jones—an assistant professor of Qatar University specializing in disinformation—speaks only broadly of the influence efforts of US rivals and contains few if any details about any specific operations. The report mentions, for instance, that the Chinese government “reportedly targeted” US politicians on TikTok using accounts run by a propaganda office ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.

The revelation of Israel’s involvement follows months of hearings in Washington concerning the impact of what US intelligence calls “malign foreign influence campaigns.” Much of the focus by lawmakers centered on allegations that China might potentially manipulate TikTok to sway public opinion in the US.

Jeffries, who is rumored to be the Democratic party’s next choice to become Speaker of the House, was among the 360 US representatives to support taking drastic steps in April that may soon lead to a ban on TikTok in US app stores.

Jeffries has joined other US leaders in extending an invitation to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress next month. A letter from Jeffries and Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell to the prime minister last week read: “To build on our enduring relationship and to highlight America’s solidarity with Israel, we invite you to share the Israeli government’s vision for defending democracy, combatting terror, and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region.”

Update 1 pm ET, June 11, 2024: Added additional details about the Israeli influence campaign.