Fake Russian Facebook Accounts Bought $100,000 in Political Ads
Mr. Stamos wrote that while some of the ads specifically mentioned the two candidates, most focused instead on issues
that were polarizing the electorate: “divisive social and political messages across the ideological spectrum — touching on topics from LGBT matters to race issues to immigration to gun rights.”
But Mr. Trump regularly offered outspoken comments on those issues during the campaign,
denouncing “political correctness” and rallying his supporters on the right.
In a January report, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency concluded
that the Russian government, on direct orders from President Vladimir V. Putin, was responsible for hacking Democratic targets and leaking thousands of emails and other documents in an attempt to hurt Mrs. Clinton’s campaign and mar her reputation.
The January intelligence report said the “likely financier” of the Internet Research Agency was “a close Putin ally with ties to Russian intelligence.” The company, profiled by Magazine in 2015, is in St. Petersburg
and uses its small army of trolls to put out messages supportive of Russian government policy.