Head of Russian outlet RT says US foreign agent order hurts

MOSCOW – The head of Russian television channel RT, which U.S. intelligence agencies allege took part in the campaign to influence last year's presidential election, says that having to register as a foreign agent in the United States is already hurting the Kremlin-funded outlet.

Margarita Simonyan, the combative and passionate editor-in-chief of the 13-year-old operation once called Russia Today, says that since the U.S. Justice Department gave the order and the station's U.S. affiliate complied, RT has been shut out of news events and suffered damage to its reputation.

Her indignation at the early November edict came blazing through in an interview with The Associated Press at RT's central Moscow headquarters Friday.