A sophisticated and clandestine Russian outfit that attempted to sow political discord through phony social media and grassroots campaigns has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to a series of pro-Trump rallies held in South Florida and around the country during the summer before the 2016 presidential election.
Federal authorities say 13 executives of the Internet Research Agency used stolen identities and U.S.-based email addresses to organize and fund political events designed to promote Donald Trump and tear down Hillary Clinton. The indictment, signed by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller, describes the efforts of a well-organized, St. Petersburg, Russia, syndicate.
With millions at its disposal, the vast Russian outfit duped legitimate political organizers into furthering a foreign scheme to create chaos around the election, according to Mueller. The company spent years studying U.S. political organizations and promoting its efforts on Facebook and Instagram, paid for rally materials ahead of a Sept. 11 Miami event and even compensated actors to erect a cage on a truck flatbed in West Palm Beach big enough to hold someone dressed up like Hillary Clinton in a prison jumpsuit.
They used a Twitter account and the Facebook group “Being Patriotic” to organize a series of Aug. 20 rallies in Florida called “Florida Goes Trump,” which they also paid to promote on social media using PayPal and bank accounts established with stolen identities and credit card numbers bought on the black market. During the scheme, which Mueller said developed over a period of more than two years, the Russians reached out to at least three members of the Trump campaign, although the indictment does not say if the campaign members responded.
Source : miamiherald
Post a Comment