Russia tried to send monitors to U.S. election polls in the wake of accusations by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump that the election has been "rigged" in favor of his opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton.
State-run Russian news outlets, citing Russian election officials, ran reports stating that Moscow unsuccessfully proposed to send diplomats to U.S. polling stations to monitor the presidential election. Russia Today reported that the idea to send a "delegation of monitors" to the United States was rejected by the State Department.
Russian officials also said they ran the proposal by several states, including Texas, where state officials threatened to bring criminal charges against Russian officials that show up at polling stations there.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner told USA Today that Moscow's effort to send diplomats to monitor the U.S. presidential election was a "PR stunt." A state official in Louisiana used a similar description, calling the move a "propaganda ploy."
Russia has emerged as a point of discussion concerning the U.S. presidential election, first as a result of Trump's complimentary behavior toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, who he has described as a strong leader. The two have exchanged positive comments, though Trump has maintained that he has no relationship with Putin but would be open to having positive relations.
Meanwhile, the U.S. government formally accused Russia two weeks ago of hacking into the Democratic National Committee and other American political institutions to influence the election. WikiLeaks, which denies having connections to Moscow, released embarrassing hacked DNC emails over the summer, and more recently has been releasing hacked communications of John Podesta, Hillary Clinton's campaign chair.
Trump, who is falling behind Clinton in the polls, has repeatedly claimed that that election is "rigged," which Republican officials have disputed. The GOP nominee said Thursday that he would accept the results of the November election if he wins.
U.S. intelligence and law enforcements officials told Reuters this week that hackers with ties to Moscow could try to discredit the election by posting documents online as purported evidence of electoral fraud.
Electoral fraud has been an issue in Russia. Ballot-stuffing and other means of voting fraud were reported following Russia's September parliamentary elections, which delivered a significant victory for Putin's ruling United Russia party.