http://cjonline.com/opinion/columns/2017-09-12/anne-applebaum-getting-very-close-evidence-collusion
We now know the motives. In backing Donald Trump, Russia’s oligarchical class sought not only to disrupt U.S. politics but also to reverse sanctions, both those applied in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and those connected to the Magnitsky Act, which targeted officials involved in human rights violations. In seeking Russian support, Trump sought not only to become president but also to make money: Even as he launched his presidential campaign, he hoped to receive a major influx of money from a proposed Trump Tower in Moscow.
Along with the motives, we know the methods. As The New York Times has just graphically demonstrated, professional Russian Internet trolls, probably operating out of St. Petersburg, set up hundreds of fake Facebook and Twitter accounts during the election campaign.
The trolls then posted thousands of fake stories, memes and slogans, supported anti-Clinton hashtags and narratives, and linked back to DCLeaks, the website that posted emails that Russian hackers stole from the Clinton campaign. The emails “revealed” by that hack were utterly banal. But the fake operatives said they contained “hidden truths,” hinted that they were part of a secret “Soros” operation, after liberal financier George Soros, and persuaded people to click. This is a method Russian operatives had used before. Previous elections, in Poland and Ukraine, demonstrated that stolen material — any stolen material — can be used to foment conspiracy theories that never die.
We know what happened next: The fake stories, memes and slogans moved from the network of Russian-sponsored “American” accounts into the networks of real Americans. Some, such as “pizzagate,” the theory that Hillary Clinton was part of a pedophile ring being run out of Washington pizza parlor, got a lot of attention. Others, such as the theory that Barack Obama founded the Islamic State, or the theory that the Google search engine was working on Clinton’s behalf, got less attention but were notable for another reason: They were not only promoted on the fake Russian network, which bought advertising in order to push them further, but were also promoted on open Russian news networks, including the Sputnik English-language news services. Afterwards, they were repeated, also openly, by candidate Trump.
Now here is a piece of the story that we don’t know: How did the Russians behind the fake “American” accounts know which real Americans would be most excited to read conspiracy theories on Facebook? How did they know how to target their ads? Perhaps they just got lucky. Perhaps they just happened upon broad networks of people who were willing to click on their conspiracy theories and pass them on. Or perhaps they had some help. Certainly the Trump campaign had this kind of information — recently, one of Trump’s online campaign managers bragged to the BBC about their ability to “target” on Facebook and elsewhere.
Here is another piece we don’t know: How did Trump happen to use the same conspiracy theories that were proliferating on Russian media, both real and fake? Again, this could be coincidence. Or, again, there could have been coordination. Messages tested by Russian trolls might have been passed on to the Trump campaign — or vice versa.
I still believe, as I’ve been writing for months, that Trump’s sympathy for Russian President Vladimir Putin, a cynicial and vicious dictator, should, by itself, have eliminated him from U.S. politics. Nothing else that we will ever learn about him makes him more unqualified to be president of the United States.
But for those who want something more, circumstantial evidence of Russian collusion with his campaign is already available. And direct evidence is getting very, very close.
Anne Applebaum writes a bi-weekly foreign affairs column for The Washington Post.
Russia micro-targeted anti-Hillary social media advertisements in swing districts. Who helped them ?
The most frightening aspect of the Trump/Russia connection/collusion is the denial by right-wing sycophants.
Much of the anti-Hillary "information," if not the overwhelming majority, came from Russian bots programmed to respond to Facebook and other social media comments about Clinton, to direct individuals to bogus websites containing fraudulent, anti-Clinton content.
Just today it was revealed that a Russian Facebook account engineered an anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim rally in Idaho … the day after a Breitbart article ran a false account of disease being spread by immigrants!
RED WEDDING
Exclusive: Russia Used Facebook Events to Organize Anti-Immigrant Rallies on U.S. Soil
Pushing fake news was just one component of the Russian campaign to shape American minds. Part two: organizing anti-immigrant events echoing themes from the pro-Trump press.
09.11.17 10:45 PM ET
Russian operatives hiding behind false identities used Facebook ’s event-management tool to remotely organize and promote political protests in the U.S., including an August 2016 anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim rally in Idaho, The Daily Beast has learned.
A Facebook spokesperson confirmed to The Daily Beast that the social-media giant “shut down several promoted events as part of the takedown we described last week.” The company declined to elaborate, except to confirm that the events were promoted with paid ads. (This is the first time the social-media giant has publicly acknowledged the existence of such events.)
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Trump campaign officials bragged about their ability to micro target voters through social media. It is not a great leap of logic to wonder if they used their set-up to guide the micro targeting of the Russians anti- Hillary ads.
Also the Facebook events like the one you noted.
The investigators and journalists are closing in.
Still waiting for the proof, the opinions of the article writer are not proof.
I guess that makes me a right-wing sycophant.....
I still need to see the proof.....
No speculation, correlations, or unverified claims.....
There is no proof. This is simply more wailing from the defeated left.
Still waiting for the proof, the opinions of the article writer are not proof.
Yes, but she, the author works for the Rothchilds, you know, where Hillary Clinton was having her private campaign party with her very close friend Huma. Nothing to see here.
Nothing I want see anyway. Bill might be interested.
The proof comes out in full or, enough of it to explain an indictment, reasons for going to trial, and conviction; the lack thereof will be manifested by the absence of one all of these.
Facebook has recently admitted to Russian accounts that were used to create havoc and desired outcomes in the POTUS election and Trump's White House has become lawyered to the hilt.
Innocent parties don't try to thwart investigations that would prove the innocence they claim; consciousness of guilt is usually a giveaway and the Trump people wreak of it.
You are certainly correct to demand proof ... but there is enough smoke in this one to anticipate a fire.