This Russia indictment is a must-read to understand how the troll farm worked: justice.gov/file/1035477/d…
The wheels started turning in 2014. In Feb 2016, the instruction was “use any opportunity to criticise Hillary and the rest (except Sanders and Trump - we support them).”
In June 2014, troll farm staff toured the US on an intelligence gathering mission.
In June 2016, the troll farm contacted a genuine Texan activist and learned the importance of targeting “purple states like Colorado, Virginia and Florida.”
The trolls posed as Americans to contact “unwitting members, volunteers and supporters” of the Trump campaign, then sat back and watched them amplify troll posts.
This was a classic infiltration operation. The alt-right was hopelessly compromised, but it wasn’t the only community penetrated. Some troll farm BLM accounts had hundreds of thousands of followers; the farm targeted LGBT and Muslims too.
Especially after the election, the troll farm tried to run pro- and anti-Trump events simultaneously. They backed both sides in TakeAKnee and DAPL. This was about dividing America.
The troll farm even received a mail from the “Chair for the Trump campaign” in a Florida county, suggesting where to organise rallies.
The indictment is about 2016. It’s really important to note that the campaign continued long after the election. It was still running full steam when it was exposed in late 2017.
The troll farm worked to worsen America’s most painful divisions, including race and religion. It targeted the alt-right, BLM, Native Americans, Muslims, Mexicans, LGBT, veterans... Setting them against one another.
Fascinating conversations at #MSC2018 as the word of the troll factory indictment spreads.
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