A federal law apparently prohibits the provision of “false information and hoaxes” but the section then provides an apparent exemption for U.S. government law enforcement and intelligence agencies. The exemption reads:
Activities of Law Enforcement.—
This section does not prohibit any lawfully authorized investigative, protective, or intelligence activity of a law enforcement agency of the United States, a State, or political subdivision of a State, or of an intelligence agency of the United States. (18 U.S. Code § 1038(d), emphasis added)