Elected officials warn of misinformation as pandemic continues

This week, Sen. Marco Rubio warned that foreign actors could be using conspiracy theories and deliberate misinformation about COVID-19 to amplify election interference.

The warning from Rubio, who now chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, comes as other federal agencies have been forced to push back on false information spread across social media.

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In mid-March, just as the coronavirus pandemic was unfolding, the National Security Council issued a tweet pushing back on a rumor of a nationwide quarantine, tweeting “text message rumors of a national quarantine are FAKE. There is no national lockdown.”

“They’re not stopping, and they are going to be involved,” former Sen. Bill Nelson told Eyewitness News. “When you are dealing with a state actor as sophisticated as Russian intelligence and Chinese intelligence, you better keep those upgrades going.”

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While it has already been documented that Russia interfered in the U.S. elections in 2016 and 2018 through direct and indirect campaigns, many lawmakers including Rubio, are warning that China has its own reasons to push false information and is poised to join Russia as the U.S. prepares for the 2020 election.

“Let’s wake up. Let’s be vigilant to stop these attacks,” Nelson said.

© 2020 Cox Media Group