Russian Troll Farm, 13 Suspects Indicted For Interference In U.S. Election
Russian Troll Farm, 13 Suspects Indicted For Interference In U.S. Election
The Justice Department’s special counsel announced the indictment Friday of a notorious Russian troll farm — charging 13 individuals with an audacious scheme to criminally interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
The Internet Research Agency, based in St. Petersburg, Russia, was named in the indictment as the hub of an ambitious effort to trick Americans into following Russian-fed propaganda that pushed U.S. voters toward then-Republican candidate Donald Trump and away from Democrat Hillary Clinton.
The indictment charges that some of the Russian suspects interacted with Americans associated with the Trump campaign, but those associates did not realize they were being manipulated.
Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein called the charges “a reminder that people are not always who they appear on the Internet. The indictment alleges that the Russian conspirators want to promote social discord in the United States and undermine public confidence in democracy. We must not allow them to succeed.”
Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III did not attend the press briefing, but the 37-page indictment provides the most detailed description from the U.S. government of Russian interference in the election.
RELATED: Read the indictment
Prosecutors said the Internet Research Agency kept a list of real Americans who its employees had contacted using false personas and had asked to assist the effort. The list, which numbered over 100 people by late August 2016, included the U.S. citizens’ contact information, a summary of each person's political views and the activities the Russians had asked them to undertake.
None of those charged are in custody, according to Peter Carr, a spokesman for the special counsel’s office. Russia does not typically allow any of its citizens to be extradited to the U.S. to face trial, so it’s unlikely that the individuals will be turned over, but it will likely prevent them from traveling outside Russia.
Some of the Russians posed as U.S. persons and, without revealing their Russian identities, “communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump campaign and with other political activists to seek to coordinate political activities,” the indictment said.
By February 2016, the suspects had decided whom they were supporting in the 2016 race. According to the indictment, Internet Research Agency specialists were instructed to “use any opportunity to criticize Hillary and the rest (except Sanders and Trump — we support them).”
Prosecutors say some Russian employees of the troll farm were chastised in September 2016 when they had a “low number of posts dedicated to criticizing Hillary Clinton” and were told it was “imperative to intensify criticizing” the Democratic nominee in future posts.
The charges include conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. One of those indicted is Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin, who has long been identified in Russian media as the financial backer of the Internet Research Agency. He is a caterer who has been nicknamed “Putin’s chef” because of his close ties to the Russian president.
Concord Consulting and Concord Catering, two Russian businesses also charged by Mueller’s team on Friday, have previously been identified as Prigozhin vehicles. “The Americans are very impressionable people and they see what they want to see,” Prigozhin told Russia’s RIA Novosti state news agency in response to the indictment. “I respect them very much.”
Referring to the list of indicted individuals, he added: “I am not at all disappointed that I appear in this list. If they want to see the devil — let them.”
The Internet Research Agency was at the center of Silicon Valley’s investigation into Russian meddling during the 2016 presidential election. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google all found evidence that the private firm used social media to divide American voters across a range of polarizing issues, including race, religion, gun rights and immigration.
Tweets and Facebook posts that have been made public as part of these investigations make clear that the Russian disinformation effort broadly sought to favor Trump and undermine the support for Clinton. This conclusion has been backed by the work of several independent researchers.
Typically called a “troll farm,” the Internet Research Agency is regarded as the most prominent part of the Russian disinformation campaign, though congressional investigators pushed for evidence of other operations, including from countries other than Russia, that shared the same purpose.
Overall, Facebook acknowledged to Congress that the Internet Research Agency had bought 3,000 ads on its platform that reached 11.4 million users. The agency’s employees also reportedly made many free posts that reached 126 million users.
In addition to polarizing online political conversation, Facebook reported that the Internet Research Agency used Facebook pages to organize 129 real-world events that drew the attention of nearly 340,000 Facebook users. One of these, organized by a group called Heart of Texas, took place on May 21, 2016, under the banner of “Stop Islamization of Texas.”
On that same day, another Russian-controlled Facebook group, called United Muslims of America, publicized a competing rally to “Save Islamic Knowledge” at the same place and time.
Twitter has acknowledged finding 3,814 accounts linked to the IRA, which together posted some 176,000 tweets in the 10 weeks preceding the election. The company also found 50,258 automated accounts it said were connected to the Russian government and tweeted more than a million times.
One particularly notorious account linked to the Russian firm claimed to speak for Tennessee Republicans. It persuaded a wide range of American politicians, celebrities and journalists to share tweets with their own massive lists of followers. The list of prominent people who tweeted out links from the account, @Ten_GOP, which Twitter shut down in August, included political figures such as Michael Flynn and Roger Stone, celebrities such as Nicki Minaj and James Woods, and media personalities such as Ann Coulter and Chris Hayes.
The IRA Twitter accounts frequently used links from prominent American news organizations, including The Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle, to push particular narratives related to the campaign, according to research from Columbia University social media researcher Jonathan Albright.
Twitter declined to comment Friday on the indictment.
Anton Troianovksi in Berlin and Rosalind S. Helderman and Spencer S. Hsu. contributed to this report.
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American Social Media - Are You Paying Attention?
Rightwingers (yesterday and for the last 6 months): "WHY, OH WHY, DOESN'T MUELLER HAVE ANYTHING AFTER ALL THIS TIME ?"
News today: Mueller indicts 13 individual Russians and 3 Russian companies for waging cyber war on the United States. Also: Rick gates ready to plead guilty and spill his guts on Manafort and the entire Mar-a-LagoShitbag's criminal enterprise.
Rightwingers (today): WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Poor dears. Bless their no good barely beatin still denyin cheatin lyin hearts...
LMAO! That's how you read that today?
That was an exoneration of Trump and the "unwitting" campaign workers who thought they were talking to American political activists.
So true.
No, what happened today was Mueller charged 13 Russians for interfering in and even rigging our 2016 elections in defiance of the laws of the United States of America. Nowhere was Trump exonerated. It was shown though that clueless chumps worked for Trump who were so eager to please their lord and master that they became the willing if unwitting stooges of Russian intelligence officers. That is nothing to brag about. Muellers investigation is merely picking up steam. This is not the end you dream of it being though I understand why you are so desperate for it to be. You spread a lot of that manure that was being fed to you by Russians last year and I suppose that has to make you think. Or, does it? In any case, you are on the record as to whose side you are on now...
It never said Trump campaign workers. I am sure that the Russians, posing as Americans talked to both campaigns. You know, the other campaign that actually used a go between to collude with Russians - in Russia! Don't forget this Russian operation began way back in 2014. So the Trump end of it you keep mentioning is what you are hoping for, but you must be the only one left who still believes in Trump collusion.
You see that's the problem - you couldn't just post this story without mentioning Trump and it has nothing to do with Trump.
There's plenty of reliable evidence available online that Russia/USSR operations began decades ago and were in many countries, not just the USA.
You can lead horses to water ....
In what way? Do tell.
A.K.A. what actually happened (and still happening).
I know. Isn't that about the dumbest thing you've ever heard. What's he going to do, call Putin and and tell him to turn them over to us? Maybe he should have told them to 'stop it' like Obama did when it was happening.
Still conflating
As the great Inigo Montoya said: "I do not think that word means what you think it means."
Does America REALLY want to stop this problem of election interference, and computer breakdowns and hanging chads - just go back to paper ballots and pencilled Xs, and make it required UNIVERSALLY - no hybrid systems varying from State to State. That's what Canada does and there are NO SUCH INTERFERENCE problems there, nor CAN there be.
However, I know that advice, which would PREVENT interference from another Nation, will not be followed.
Just how are paper ballots going to stop the Russians from hacking our state election systems to identify and thus target individual voters by party and by district? How does that protect us from candidate's e-mail accounts being hacked? How is that gonna stop Russian propaganda from being spread to American voters online on social media like last time? Your idea really stinks. Sorry...
The DNC and HRC were hacked by olde Vlad Putin. In other words Russian State Intelligence.
Remember that Russia Trump Jr meeting? "We have damaging information on Mrs Clinton"...
Why wasn't that meeting mentioned today?
I do not know but that mapeeting is still being investigated. Bannon just testified. Manafort has been indicted. Flynn has plead guilty. Papadoupolous has plead guilty. Rick Gates is reported to be ready to plead and to make a deal to cooperate. A federal grand jury that has seen the evidence has merely indicted these thirteen Russians for interference in our election. No where was Trump vindicated or exonerated. That is mere RW wishful thinking. Again, remember some of those hit pieces you published in 2016?
Please tell us what Manafort, Flynn, Papadoupolous or Gates has to do with "collusion"?
Um-hum
Can you imagine what these progressives are gonna be like as Mueller now turns his attention to Clapper, Brennan and the State Department.
BTW have libs seen the Flynn or Papodoupolous plea papers? They are really gonna be verrrrrry disappointed.
we all want to see that...
patience, all will be revealed in time (SR)
Hence the expectation of future indictments, not only of other Russians, but of Americans that conspired with them.
So you are sticking with the story that Jr. met with former KGB agents to discuss adopting kids from Russia, even though the emails Jr. released made NO mention at all of adopting kids and Jr. himself admitted he lied about the content of the meeting? THAT story? LMAO!!!!
I believe that a whole lot more than I believe Loretta Lynch and Bill Clinton just taljed about grandkids in their clandestine meeting on the airplane.
Yes my idea really stinks, doesn't it. So I really don't give a shit and my shit stinks as well. I only made a suggestion about a way to stop tampering with electronic vote machines that could be hacked. But it's nice of you to be so kind and understanding. Due to not wanting to attract purple font (which it appears you excell at) I'll not add the last word to that sentence.
Yes my idea really stinks, doesn't it. So I really don't give a shit and my shit stinks as well. I only made a suggestion about a way to stop tampering with electronic vote machines that could be hacked. But it's nice of you to be so kind and understanding. Due to not wanting to attract purple font (which it appears you excell at) I'll not add the last word to that sentence.
The day you'd accept proof or fact will be the day hell freezes over.
New report alleges outside influence in Canada's 2015 federal election
The main thing is the social media, Buzz. You remember how many people on NV and NT changed their minds after the Russians started interfering with the USA's elections, don't you? Neither do I. LOL
Think how stupid these people think we are. All of a sudden Twitter, who was deleting conservative views, making conservatives invisible and basically showing support for the Left have suddenly come out and told us there were 50,000 Russians bots at work before the election. You would think Americans would be a little more inquiring or suspicious of Twitter for such nonsense almost two years later to divulge such propaganda. They all work in unison like the hive mentality.
The owner of Facebook worked with Obama on his campaigns and they are worldwide. Obama's operatives who worked in his campaign went to Israel and worked door to door to affect their election. Who knows what else they did because they don't get investigated. And Obama was spying on Merkel's phone and others. There are still some Americans who have a dimes worth of sense and not fooled by these shysters.
I think that's a very good question. We wont know the answer until the "Trump-collusion" part of the investigation is over. I have a hunch that once that happens the uproar about "Russian interference" melts away like newly fallen snow.
What's this, vickie? You've been telling (actually yelling) us over and over NO COLLUSION but now admit that it's an unsettled matter. It's almost as if you're paying attention.
I don't blame ya. It's been all over the news
What? This? I think this article might or rather should get you to thinking about your hand in what happened if that is even possible. It is about time some started taking responsibility for what went down on social media...
My hand?
Have you ever heard of Joe McCarthy? He used to smear people with no evidence. I believe that's what your doing.
Let's see what Perrie thinks
The only one I recognize is the debate quote "You'd be in Jail". Hell yeah a reposted that. All over Facebook. Because I watched that debate, and I DO think that was the best line!
I recognized the Russian propagandists last year and thought it a crime. It was...
Nah. Not buying it. It's not like we didn't do the same thing in Israel, and several other countries during the last 50 years.
And frankly, when has spreading rumors become a crime. Setting aside libel and slander, these charges will be hard to prosecute in court. Especially given that the one about "You'd be in Jail" was true.
Disinformation? ROFLMAO! BOTH campaigns ran programs of disinformation. Hell, it's been a staple of elections for 200 years!
Do I like the idea that a foreign country tried to meddle in our election. Not particularly. But again, we've done it ourselves. Kinda hypocritical, don't you think?
It doesn't matter if you wish to remain in denial about buying it or not.
Your ridiculous false comparison about Russia and the US meddling in elections, is just that, ridiculous.
Our interference is to let all people have the freedom to have a say and elect someone freely who might represent their best interests. In other words to keep wanna be Putin style little Dick Tator Tots like Trump, out of Leadership positions.
Come back to reality, own you got played, and lets all put AMERICA FIRST, and we then, might be able to TRULY begin to make America Great Again.
Yet it seems that only right wingers are dumb enough to fall for Pizzagate, Birtherism, or the promises of a greedy and sociopathic oligarch to look out for the little guy. No wonder it was so easy for Russia to manipulate them.
I disagree with that. The US has a long history of destabilizing countries and rigging elections through disinformation campaigns to benefit US business interests and put in power someone the US wants, just like we did recently in Iraq and have done in many other small countries since WWII. We just don't like it when someone plays the same nasty game with our country.
Of course that the US does it isn't an excuse for when Russia does it to us, but it is poetic justice.
By the way there's a great article here by James Risen asking whether Trump is a traitor , and I agree that's exactly the right question. If he's not actually under Putin's control he definitely doesn't have US interests as his priority but rather his own interests.
I don't disagree with your argument about US influencing other countries elections for the benefit of large corporations here. Their money and influence ( Which Trump has just increased dramatically with his tax plan ) decides which puppets we want installed and /or which countries we will be invading.
I was attempting to show the difference of, in my eyes, a false equivalency in comparing Russias' and our meddling in other countries elections. I admit I have a slight bias, but I also admit to having it.
They are compatible for comparison on some arguments, yet incompatible for proper comparisons, on others.
I'm sounding like Kelly Ann here, but I believe you might see my comparison issues.
Let's put it this way - I can see why anyone would be angry at a foreign country meddling in your country's elections. This is the kind of thing which should be prohibited by the UN charter and have serious consequences for the offender. The Great Powers have gotten away with this crap for far too long.
I encourage you to read the Risen article, apparently it's the 1st of 4 parts.
Thank you, I will. Here is a much better take on the comparison from Dismayed Patriot, though I definitely recognize and realize the implications of your points on our own election interferences.
Dismayed Patriots take on the comparison
His part about our flaws, I would believe would be your point, and we know how bullshit influence buying Money purchases so much power and influence over our Pols via Lobbyists Traitorous scum who've sold out US, and their own souls(whatever they or that is )
.
"Ah, the old "Hey, we can't blame them for trying to destroy western democracy when we have tried to push democracy on other governments for years".
Putin is a murderer. He has silenced opponents, assassinated journalists, disappeared private media owners, arrested political opponents and rigged Russian elections. Russia is a democracy in name only, Putin controls every single member of their parliament, there is no accountability or justice there. While America may have its share of flaws, we don't operate as Putin does and should never justify Russian actions just because we have pushed pro-democracy propaganda in the past. And just because we may have meddled in their elections does not in any way make it okay for them to meddle in ours. Is it a double standard? Hell no, because we are fighting FOR free and fair elections while Putin and his cronies are trying to push fake elections making a farce of freedom, not only with their own elections but now with ours. The longer it takes the poorly educated to understand that Russia is not a friend an ally but is determined to destroy western democracy that Putin sees as a threat to his power, the more damage Putin will be able to do to us."
trump was freely elected.
your just pissed trump is undoing the liberal world order which BTW is in our best interest... maybe not yours, but certainly in our best interest.
ya see. as obama said... elections have consequences and the losers feeling left/OUT is one of them.
Cheers
by people with malleable minds manipulated by made up Americans used to make up American minds, and while I wish I was making this up, and you are sure I am,
I am not.
.
Putin and putin in place Trump, have won this battle, in the Cyber-warfare (or war un fair) battlefield that has made the world flat, according to Tom Freidman.
Believe he is correct , the internet has leveled the playing field, thus why America is being diminished.
Dude, get a clue. Our interference has nothing to do with the choice of the people of the country we meddle in. It has to do with who WE want in control. If you think we meddle for their interest, I've got a bridge I want you to buy. We meddle for OUR interest.
Reading that exchange exclaimed to you i was clueless huh ?
I was making the point it was a false equivalency, cause it is.
If you DID read it, you see i did agree about whose interests determine who we wish to get elected.
Exactly.
It's not a false equivelancy. It's exactly the same. They meddled because they didn't want Hillary.
And I think all of you who are under the impression these indictments are about meddling need to re-read the indictments. There is no law for meddling. There is (save libel and slander) no law against fake news and false stories (if there were, we need to indict the whole of the MSM). They are being charged with failure to report. IN other words, they spent money on the election and failed to register or report that money spent.
I believe there are Laws against foreign countries interfering with our election process.
We should know, right.
There Should be Laws about MONEY interfering with our election process as well, but that is another argument for another day.
I doubt that matters at all to the countries affected by our meddling in their elections. And in general our meddling involves psyops, funding candidates and rigging elections to favor the candidates the US can easily control, and even political assassinations and fomenting coups.....it's not in any sense "pro-democracy propaganda" and is profoundly anti-democratic. We do it precisely because we're afraid the puppet we want isn't the candidate preferred by the people, and allowing a free vote is too risky.
It's also resulted in long term adverse consequences to those countries (apart from the corrupt dictators we've helped gain power). For example just the public awareness of historical US meddling in Iran's elections has tainted the more moderate candidates who might be in favor of better relations with the US, and in the past couple of elections the Greens and other moderates pleaded that the US and US persons stay far far away - the taint of being a US puppet has poisoned those parties.
Of course none of that justifies what Russia did to us. It's bad and destabilizing whenever anyone does it, but the US uses these tactics at least twice as often as Russia does or the USSR did.
That is why Democrats chose an unknown community organizer over a professional politician in the 2008 primary despite the professional's smear campaign.
The voters who supported Obama in 2008 had very little incentive to support Clinton in 2016.
Are Russians responsible for Clinton's loss to Obama in 2008? Or is there a reason that people refuse to vote for any candidate that uses the smear tactics employed by Clinton?
Is the following 2016 article authored by a Russian or an American?
Let us not forget about Clinton trying to promote the propaganda that Obama was a Muslim.
Why do Clinton supporters embrace Clinton spreading propaganda about her opponents?
While it's not fair to blame that on Clinton, her campaign or the vast majority of her supporters, what I think is the relevant aspect is that it didn't work and was very quickly condemned by both campaigns. Apart from a few states in Appalachia where some right wing Dems haven't gotten the message, these racist appeals simply don't work anymore within the Dem party but they persist within the GOP where 72% of Republicans are still unsure whether Obama was born in the US. I suspect the only folks who really responded favorably to those racist and Islamophobic appeals were the right-wing front group PUMA, and they're not really Dems anyway since they ended up supporting McCain & Palin.
Well since it's a Grand Jury indictment, they've already convinced a jury of the underlying facts.
Hypocritical or not, we have laws against it. If WE were caught doing in another country, WE would expect to be prosecuted. I'm pretty sure the Russians had the same expectation.
Bingo. One interesting aspect is what Mueller chose to charge these Russians with (conspiracy to defraud the US and identity theft) and what he hasn't yet asserted - specifically he hasn't charged them with violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act.
Wow that was a failed attempt at stretching to insert an irrelevant comment.
OH! You mean like trump does every damn day? But never says a disparaging word about Putin? Trump has attacked American's FAR more than he has ever attacked Putin... Let that sink in for a minute.
Since Vic chose to mention Joe McCarthy I feel honor bound to note Trump was a protege of Olde Joe's henchman the villian Roy Cohn.
What Donald Trump Learned From Joseph McCarthy’s Right-Hand Man
By JONATHAN MAHLER and MATT FLEGENHEIMER JUNE 20, 2016
From your link....
Were you roped into retweeting or otherwise engaging with accounts created by a Russian "troll factory" and did it change your vote? There was never anything I saw that changed my vote and as Hillary said, "I believe everyone has already decided who they were going to vote for".
So, let's get this straight, vickie. Are you now digging up the stinking corpse of one of the rightwng's (that would be your side, vickie) most hallowed shitheels and proven liar and trying to equate Mueller's investigation to his bullshit. If anything, your Shitbag® is the one who's imitating the Ol' Ass Gunner's tactics. You do know that Shitbag® actually used McCarthyite, Roy Cohn, as a lawyer at one time, right?
Link?
Sometimes, it's like a beautifully wrapped and precious gift when rightwingers who have no knowledge about anything try to get cute. This is one of those gifts--trying to smear Mueller with Joe McCarthy.
Obama supporters had ever right to blame the underhanded tactics and divisive rhetoric used by all of the above. The same tactics were used in 2016 against Bernie and his supporters.
Although, I will admit that without Obama in the primary, the majority of Obama supporters would have supported another candidate instead of Clinton as they did in 2016.
Progressives have a tendency to support progressives.
One of Clinton's objectives was to put Social Security money on Wall Street. Her husband had begun the process when he was POTUS, so she already had people around her ready to hit the ground running if she had been elected.
You seem to be blaming Hillary for policies her husband might have considered, and decades later assuming that she advocated those policies......despite the fact that her public policy record shows the exact opposite.
Interesting author:
Then blame Forbes for running the following article in 2016....
I agree. And I found another one at the link you provided...
because as noted in another review of the book, Sanders acted as if his opponent had a conscience.
Sanders, (as noted by Clinton supporters) was an Independent who should not have run as a Democrat. Therefore, Sanders' supporters had no obligation to support Clinton and it was strange that Clinton, and her supporters, expected them to.
You mean Trump was lying when he said this Russia thing was a Democratic hoax?
I do find it quite revealing that the Russians primarily used far right wing outlets like Gateway Pundit to spread their propaganda. Only RWNJs are dumb enough and gullible enough to believe the nonsense that comes from those outlets......Pizzagate anyone?
The unfaithful opposition on the right is shitting their collective drawers about now...
Isn't it about time to get off the dead horse you're riding. Nothing you say can be taken seriously.
he said the charges of collusion with russians was a hoax.
do try to keep up... tks
Yup, they are doing what they always do re-applying or truncating Trump's words
No. He said Russia meddling in our elections was a hoax and that it never happened. Even though he was told before he even took office that it DID happen.
Were you influence enough to change your vote Skrekk? Do you know anyone who was? Do you know anyone who know's anyone who was? When I see something by Media Matters as your support for the accusation and others I've seen here such as Slate I realize it's just Left Wing propaganda, nothing more. Let's see some real evidence. Anyone can make crap up especially a site such as Media Matters, founded and run by David Brock.
You may as well put them in the same category as you've put The Gateway Pundit.
Oh look, another 'I know what you are what am I' comment. Sheesh.
My comment had nothing to do with Media Matters. Not surprised that you're confused.
They've twisted themselves up in so many knots trying to come up with ways to support their Shitbag® they can't keep track of all their bizarre excuses or diversions.
I would like to know what influence they had with the EC.
ZERO
Cheers
As much as I would love to believe that they had an influence there, the likelihood of that happening is extremely small.
Damn, I can't believe it. We agree on something. Maybe there's still hope.
the russian suspects held campaigns both "for trump and "against trump at the same time... LOL
Of course these aren't exactly smart or ethical people you're talking about here. They're people who are literally dumb enough to vote for the King of the Birthers.......people who were easily manipulated by Trump's racism, homophobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia and his misogyny. They're people with very, very large amygdalas who are controlled by appealing to fear not to rationality.
We're smart enough to not continue repeating the very things that caused our candidate to lose. Oh excuse me, he didn't lose. your candidate lost for doing exactly what you're doing and you voted for her, I assume.
We're so emotional. Oh no. Excuse me, I was mistaken.
As near as I can tell, trolling like this is so common in Russia that it’s reached a near grocery counter tabloid status and no more a crime over there than the national enquirer posting a picture of Hillary holding her half space alien baby.
This particular troll farm began before either Trump or Hillary announced their campaigns. Its original purpose seems to have been to make Putin look good and then later picked other subjects, which included the 2016 election.
I read the indictment and the farm initially supported Trump and trashed Hillary, even hiring someone to impersonate her at an event wearing a prison uniform. After the election, it apparently simultaneously trolled in favor of Trump and against him (I guess to spark discord). Other reports state that the farm was staffed with young people who seemed to think it was funny to impersonate Americans, one day playing a redneck from Alabama and the next day a Black man from New York.
Troll farms in Russia don’t bother to really hide their tracks and this one was no different, making it easy to trace. The operation was described as amateurish. The Russians are passing it off as something like a prank or tabloid folishness. It may be just that but they did more than trolling. They engaged in fraud and identity theft to open bank and PayPal accounts so they could conceal money transfers more easily. Maybe that’s common in Russia too but it’s also possible that the whole operation was made to look amateurish so that the Russian government has plausible deniability.
Still, Rod Rosenstein has said there was no indication that this farm affected the outcome of the election and no one has alleged a connection between it and the Trump campaign. In the end, this may be nothing more than them meddling in our election because we meddle in everybody else’s but I’ll wait and see.
I don't what it is people think we're supposed to do about it. In a country that values free speech, how are you going to prevent people from posting garbage on the internet?
Each major media outlet is going to run a routine to check and verify the URL of the stories before they let them loose. If it can't be verified or unverified (as in they didn't write any story of that title on that subject) it's gone. That's a good start, and they're working on a AI program to help mods screen for key phrases (the carefully designed catch-phrases and buzz-words from the source) in fake or comments driven from a fake article if I understood that correctly. There's also some talk about verifying a seeder's real name and U.S. Address, but that's still way back on the drawing board yet.
I think just the first two would throw some sand in the gearbox.
This comment (and other moronic memes, e.g. that Obama tampered with the Brexit vote, "soph" interfered in U.S. elections) from Trump toadies reveal such screaming hysteria and panic that they're basically telling us even they realize at some level (rectal, I guessing) that this is going South so fast that they need to do anything and everything now no matter how desperately idiotic it makes them look.
Ruh-roh: Rick Gates Officially Flipped
There've been a lot of indications this was going to happen over the past couple of weeks. This now gives Mueller to 4?, yes 4 guilty pleas and 4 co-operating witnesses. Gates is a particularly big catch since he was a Manafort partner AND he continued to work in the Shitbag campaign AND the transition AND the inauguration planning (can't wait for Shitbag to claim he was a "nobody" "never met him" "fake guy"). He's definitely the closest player yet to Shitbag (unless Bannon has already made a deal we haven't heard about yet with Mueller after his GJ testimony last week). This along with Shitbag's verbal diarrhea outburst desperately pointing at all the trees this weekend really, really does make the Shitbag look bad. If he's not guilty he's doing a damn great imitation of someone who is.
Apparently those inside the far right wing bubble are going to be caught sleeping, again...
More like attempted interference. Even the indictment admits they didn't accomplish anything. It also admits that to the extent anyone in the campaign may have assisted them, it was unknowing and of the "retweet" variety. Pretty weak stuff. Isn't it about to wrap this up now and get focused on important things?
Are you lying on purpose or are you simply making things up because you didn't actually read the indictment and are just regurgitating what you heard on Fox or Breitbart?
While the indictment deliberately makes no statements about whether the conspiracy was effective in changing the outcome of the election, it notes that the troll farm kept metrics on their social media campaign and adjusted their efforts accordingly. The indictment also details some of the pro-Trump rallies the Russians organized in the US including a number of rallies in Florida where the conservatives must be unusually gullible or pro-Putin, and details many other real-world effects the conspiracy had.