A disinformation operation linked to the Russian network "Storm-1516" (Storm-1516) and aimed at influencing public opinion that French President Emmanuel Macron is involved in the "Epstein" case has been identified by French authorities, a government official said today, quoted by Agence France-Presse, BTA reported.
The state service "Viginum" (Viginum), responsible for combating foreign interference online, detected on Wednesday the disinformation operation, which consists of "the creation of a site that assumes the identity of the media "France Soir", where an article was published accusing President Emmanuel Macron of involvement in the "Epstein" affair." This is stated by the government representative, who confirmed information to the BFM TV channel. He also specified that the fake news was spread repeatedly on the social network "Ex".
"France Soir" denied publishing the article on Wednesday.
The government representative added that according to "Viginum" the fake site acted in a similar way to "Copy Cop", a network of fake news sites run by former American police officer John Mark Dougan, who has been living in exile in Russia since 2016. Dougan maintains part of the electronic infrastructure of the "Storm-1516" network.
In "Ex" the video footage of the fake "France Soir" was first distributed by the account "LoetitiaH", a frequently used tool for "information operations" of "Storm-1516".
The government representative points out, however, that the visibility of the repeatedly published material does not mean that it would have a direct impact and emphasizes that such operations are often directed against political figures.
Called on several occasions to resign, Jacques Lang, the former Minister of Culture during the governments of President François Mitterrand and president of the Institute for the Arab World, will have to explain his links to the scandalous financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Sunday. Jacques Lang will have to do this at the French Foreign Ministry, which provides the main funds of the Institute, headed by Lang since 2013, amounting to 12.3 million euros. This represents half of the Institute's budget, AFP notes.
"Lang has been summoned to the Ministry and will be received on Sunday", Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said today during a visit to Erbil, the capital of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan.
Jacques Lang, who has refused to resign as president of the Institute, did not answer questions from AFP journalists.
Calls for his resignation intensified after the US Department of Justice published millions of documents on January 30 incriminating the 86-year-old former culture minister in his ties to Epstein.
The French government said last night that there would be discussions on the future of the Institute for the Arab World.