State Department offers $10 million reward for proof of Russian interference in U.S. elections 

The US State Department has offered a reward for any information that will lead to proof of foreign interference in US elections, specifically concerning Russia. 

The State Department has also requested information on an organization called Internet Research Agency (IRA), who they have dubbed a troll group. Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who was put in charge of investigating possible Russian interference in the 2016 election, said in his report that the IRA will create fake Twitter accounts to provoke reactions from high-profile Americans.

The State Department described the IRA as “Beginning as early as 2014, IRA began operations to interfere with the U.S. political system, including the 2016 U.S. presidential election, with a strategic goal to sow discord.”

The State Department have focused their attention on the leader of the IRA, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who they have said is a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, “and linked Russian entities and associates for their engagement in U.S. election interference.”

As well as Prigozhin, the State Department will continue to pursue other people they believe to be involved to have had past involvement with the IRA.

“They knowingly and intentionally conspired to defraud the United States by impairing, obstructing and defeating the lawful functions of the government through fraud and deceit for the purpose of interfering with the U.S. political and electoral processes, including the presidential election of 2016,” the State Department said.

The Statement Department went onto say that their appeal was to create “wider efforts to ensure the security and integrity of our elections and protect against foreign interference in our elections.”

“Rewards for Justice is a premier national security program administered by the Diplomatic Security Service at the U.S. Department of State. Since its inception in 1984, the program has paid out in excess of $250 million to more than 125 people across the globe who provided actionable information that had helped resolve threats to U.S. national security,” the State Department says on their website.