Russia behind Walz video, US intelligence community officials say
Mankato West High School student Matthew Metro says he has never met Tim Walz
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A video disparaging vice presidential candidate Tim Walz was created by "Russian influence actors" who are trying to undermine Kamala Harris’ campaign, U.S. intelligence community officials told Fox News.
The video, reportedly a deepfake circulating on social media purports to show former Mankato West High School student Matthew Metro claiming that he was groped and kissed by Walz in 1997 when the Minnesota governor was a teacher there. Except the allegations are completely fabricated.
"Based on newly available intelligence analysis conducted over the weekend, Russian influence actors manufactured and amplified the content," the officials told Fox News, adding that the video fit a pattern used by Russian actors in which the subject was "staged direct to camera and trying to make them go viral."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}These intelligence community officials also pointed out that they believe Russia is likely to be more aggressive in its efforts to sow division in the U.S. post-election if Harris wins, because Russia prefers that former President Trump win the 2024 race.
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Vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz greets people at Mankato West High School in Mankato, Minnesota, on Friday, Oct. 11. Gov. Walz, who was a defensive coach for Mankato West's 1999 state championship team, visited the Mankato East-West rivalry game. (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP)
The real Matthew Metro – who is now living in Hawaii – told The Washington Post that he has never met Walz.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It’s obviously not me: The teeth are different, the hair is different, the eyes are different, the nose is different," he said. "I don’t know where they’re getting this from."
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Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appears with former President Bill Clinton at a campaign rally in Durham, N.C., on Oct. 17. (AP/Steve Helber)
Metro called the deepfake "an invasion of my privacy and my personal life."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It so far has been viewed more than 5 million times, The Washington Post reported, citing engagement data from the social media platform X.
Metro told the newspaper that he suspects his dormant accounts on Facebook and other social media platforms might have been raided for images and information about his background to create the deepfake.
Tim Walz speaks to players on the Mankato West football team on Friday, Oct. 11. The real Matthew Metro told The Washington Post that he has never met Walz. (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Both the Harris and Trump campaigns did not immediately respond Tuesday to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.