( CNN ) -- A videotape on a Russian Web site allegedly showing a State Department employee having sex with a prostitute is a `` smear campaign '' meant to discredit the man , a State Department spokesman said Thursday . The State Department has said the tape allegedly showing an employee having sex with a prostitute is a fake . The employee , Brendan Kyle Hatcher , denied any encounter with a prostitute to his superiors at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow , another State Department official said . State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the U.S. ambassador to Russia , John Beyrle , `` supports '' Hatcher , who remains at his job at the embassy . Hatcher had previously worked in the sensitive area of religious and human rights in Russia , the spokesman said . `` Mr. Hatcher ... enjoys the full confidence of Ambassador Beyrle and fully intends to serve out the rest of his tour in Moscow , '' Kelly said at an afternoon briefing at the State Department . The United States `` deplores this type of campaign and use of the Internet to smear a foreign service officer of good standing , '' he added . Watch why the U.S. says the tape is doctored » . Beyrle was unequivocal in expressing his support in an interview with ABC News . `` Kyle Hatcher has done nothing wrong , '' he said . `` Clearly , the video we saw was a montage of lot of different clips , some of them which are clearly fabricated . '' A senior State Department official said , `` It 's a doctored tape and a set-up designed to implicate someone working as a liaison with religious and human rights groups in Russia . '' The official said Hatcher , who is married , `` was approached by Russians ; they tried to blackmail him , but he did everything correctly , '' reporting the incident to his supervisors at the Embassy . The tape then appeared on the tabloid newspaper Web site Compromat.ru and was picked up by other outlets . Diplomatic sources who declined to be named said Compromat.ru has a history of ties to Russia 's security services . Russia 's Foreign Ministry had no comment when asked about the video . Another senior State Department official , who has seen the video , said `` it 's clear to me that it 's him , '' referring to portions showing Hatcher alone in the hotel room . `` But then the lights go down , '' and the footage from there on is faked , that official said . The video of Hatcher in the hotel room was taken last year , `` somewhere in Siberia , '' said the senior State Department official who watched the video . It was shot in a hotel that Hatcher visited , the official said . When questioned about the possible motivation for creating the video , the official said it 's presumed `` it was done because of his human rights work , '' in Russia . The official doubted the incident will have any effect on U.S.-Russian relations and noted that the Kremlin and the Russian Foreign Ministry have both been `` very cooperative '' in the months since the footage came to light . `` The vast majority of people there are working toward better relations , '' the official said . Another official said Hatcher is a `` great officer '' who , until last summer , was a political reporting officer focusing on religious freedom issues in Russia . The assignment lasts two years : one year in that specialty and a year on the visa-issuing line at the embassy . Last year , this official said , Hatcher was the lead officer compiling the State Department 's Religious Freedom report and was given an award for his work by the ambassador . Another official confirmed that Hatcher received a meritorious honor award in 2009 and a group award in 2008 . Hatcher , one official said , worked with religious groups that are considered `` outside the mainstream '' in Russia , such as Protestants and non-Christians . Such faiths often face official and unofficial discrimination in the largely Russian-Orthodox society . Another senior State Department official said , `` there is a lot of inertia '' among some special security services in Russia . `` They are pretty much unreconstructed , '' he said . The security services may have wanted to compromise Hatcher 's ability to work with religious groups , he says , `` or they may have wanted to throw a stick into the spokes '' of the U.S.-Russia relationship . `` Some in Moscow , '' he said , `` are looking to integrate with the West , and others are trying to stop that . '' The officials asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter . CNN 's Matthew Chance in Moscow and Paul Courson in Washington contributed to this report .
NEW : Russian officials are being `` very cooperative , '' U.S. official says . Russian site allegedly shows State Department employee having sex with prostitute . U.S. ambassador says video clips `` clearly fabricated '' Official : Tape meant to discredit employee working in religious and human rights .