An army of Chinese controlled social media bots is attempting to influence voters in Alabama, Texas and Tennessee while denigrating Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, according to research published Wednesday by Microsoft.
The operation represents a coordinated interference effort against down-ballot races, experts say, in which the fake accounts are denigrating Rep. Barry Moore of Alabama, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Rubio, all Republicans.
The troll network has “parroted anti-Semitic messages, amplified accusations of corruption and promoted opposition candidates,” according to Microsoft.
The group responsible is known as Taizi Flood, which has been previously associated with China’s Public Security Ministry, researchers say. The lawmakers were targeted because they had denounced Chinese government policies historically, the report notes.
A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said that China “has no intention and will not interfere in the US election” and that such claims are “full of malicious speculations.”
Among other things, the bots criticized Moore’s support for Israel and used anti-Semitic language. Another collective of related accounts claimed Rubio was part of a financial corruption scheme.
The bots amplified support for Blackburn’s election rival while spreading claims that she took money from pharmaceutical companies. With McCaul, they pushed narratives that he engaged in insider trading.
Moore, McCaul and Blackburn are all running for re-election next month. Rubio, who is vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is not up for re-election until 2028.
The Microsoft researchers found the influence effort did not result “in high levels of engagement.” The report did not provide any metrics for how many Americans viewed the relevant social media posts.
A spokesman for Moore, Madison Green, said his office was aware of the campaign.
“We know that the CCP is anti-Semitic, so it isn’t surprising that they are targeting me and other politicians who support Israel to try to sow division in advance of the most important election in our lifetime,” said Moore, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.
“China has made it clear they will use every weapon in their arsenal, including offensive cyber capabilities, to try and destroy democracy across the world,” he added.
In an emailed statement, McCaul said he considered targeting a “badge of honor” as he has made “standing up to the CCP a central part of my career.”
A spokesman for Blackburn did not respond to a request for comment.
Rubio said in a statement that he believed China’s goal was to “shape American opinion on critical issues and target specific candidates, especially those they view as anti-China.”
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which is coordinating the federal effort to defend the election from foreign influence, referred Reuters to a past statement.
“Foreign actors — particularly Russia, Iran, and China — remain intent on fanning divisive narratives to divide Americans and undermine Americans’ confidence in the US democratic system,” it said.