Democrats in Congress are asking the FBI for an immediate investigation into disinformation targeting Latinos before the 2020 election.
The request for an investigation was made in a letter from Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell of Florida, who is locked in a tight race for re-election, and Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
“As we rapidly approach Election Day, Latino circles in South Florida have witnessed a surge in posts containing false or misleading information on social media. These posts are often politically charged and contain far-right conspiracy theories relating to ‘QAnon’ or other fringe ideologies designed to manipulate Latino voters,” the members stated in their letter.
Among examples cited by the congressional members were the racist and anti-Semitic remarks disseminated on a paid program aired in August by Caracol Radio, an AM radio station. It claimed that if Biden won the election, the U.S. would fall into a dictatorship led by Jews and Blacks. Caracol later apologized for the content and banned the commentator.
They also noted the inclusion of a Spanish language insert in El Nuevo Herald, the sister publication of the Miami Herald, with a column that claimed American Jews support “thieves and arsonists” and compared Black Lives Matter protesters to Nazis.
The congressional members also asked that the investigation consider any ties of the disseminated disinformation with any foreign actors. They set Oct. 7 as a deadline for a response and date when FBI could brief Congress on the disinformation.
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