Experts say Russian groups are spreading fake news about Gov. Tim Walz.

Russian disinformation groups likely orchestrated baseless claims targeting Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, falsely accusing the vice-presidential candidate of sexually assaulting his students while he was a high school teacher, according to assessments by the U.S. intelligence community, independent researchers, and a CBS News analysis.

At least four separate claims have spread since early October, racking up millions of views on social media platforms, including X, owned by Elon Musk. Darren Linvill, co-director of the Media Forensics Hub at Clemson University, said at least two of the claims seem to be directly linked to Storm-1516, a Kremlin-aligned troll farm.

A Tuesday report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence states that the intelligence community found Russian disinformation groups were behind recent “manufactured and amplified inauthentic content claiming illegal activity” targeting Walz’s earlier career.

The Claims

The initial claim emerged on Oct. 5 during a Rumble livestream, where an anonymous man said Walz abused him when he was a Future Leaders Exchange, or FLEX, Program student in Minnesota from 2004 to 2005. The man’s voice appears altered, and he was interviewed by John Mark Dougan, a former Florida sheriff’s deputy living in Russia with alleged ties to disinformation campaigns.

This was the first sign that the claim was created by Russian disinformation groups, Linvill said.

“To have Dougan out there being interviewed on this story is basically a neon sign saying that maybe it’s connected to Russia. Not only do I think Russia is behind these stories, I think Russia wants us to know that they’re behind these stories,” he said.

Both the U.S. State Department and FLEX told CBS News they have no record “of any FLEX student from Kazakhstan in Mankato area schools from 2000 through 2020.” Mel Helling, the communications director for Mankato Area Public Schools, also stated they have no record of the allegations.

When contacted by CBS News, Dougan claimed he has the alleged victim’s U.S. visa and the FLEX Program certificate. However, CBS News reviewed the documents and found several inconsistencies, including the fact that the date of birth on the visa does not match the age stated by the alleged victim and that the certificate has an incorrect logo on it.

The claims were picked up by other accounts not linked to Russian disinformation. On Oct. 12, an X account credited as Matt Wallace posted a Rumble video claiming without evidence that Walz may have acted inappropriately with students during trips to China. The video was later removed, and the user did not respond to a request for comment.

A third claim surfaced on Oct. 13 when an X account dubbed “Black Insurrectionist” posted grainy screenshots of supposed emails alleging Walz’s misconduct with a minor at a concert in 1995. The supposed emails appeared manipulated, with a comma in the date-time stamp that is not typically found in emails. “Black Insurrectionist” later deleted their account, and researchers have not linked this account to Russian disinformation.

On Oct. 16, another claim circulated when a man purporting to be Matthew Metro, a former Mankato West High School student, posted a video alleging Walz sexually assaulted him in 1997. However, reports from The Washington Post and AFP indicated that a man named Matthew Metro did attend the school, but the person in the video is not him. Metro himself confirmed to The Post that he never met Walz.

Hany Farid, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who specializes in manipulated media, believes the video was not created using AI but is a “cheap fake,” where a man is impersonating someone else.

A Disinformation Pattern

The video resembles the work of Storm-1516, according to Linvill. The disinformation group previously promoted a false claim that Vice President Kamala Harris was involved in a hit-and-run incident, as reported by Microsoft.

“Suggestions of sexual deviance in various forms are a favorite theme of Storm-1516,” Linvill noted. “This campaign has recently turned from a focus primarily on the war in Ukraine to more frequent targeting of the Harris-Walz campaign.”

Linvill stated that versions of the Walz allegations appear to be part of a Storm-1516 “narrative laundering campaign,” where false claims are presented in a way that makes them appear credible, often using a person who claims to be a victim.

CBS News reached out to X and Rumble for comment but has not received a response as of publication.