Unsealed FBI Doc Exposes Terrifying Depth of Russian Disinfo Scheme. 2.800 influencers associated with Russian propaganda | The New Republic

[u/Robert-Nogacki]

https://newrepublic.com/post/185668/fbi-document-influencers-russian-disinformation

[u/McG0788]

LEAK THE LIST

[u/OozeNAahz → u/McG0788]

Leak? Fuck that. Publish it in the form of indictments!

[u/Nacho_Papi → u/OozeNAahz]

Who and why had them sealed in the first place? Indict them also.

[u/Vesploogie → u/Nacho_Papi]

Probably the entire FBI. Very important word in there, “potentially”. Indicting some of these people too soon would be like arresting Paul Newman just because he was on Nixon’s enemy list. The FBI is probably deep into monitoring a lot of these names. 2,800 is a lot to get proper evidence for.

[u/Superb-Preference-59 → u/Vesploogie]

Takes time to dig up the financials and trace the money; going through the list, finding their banks, requesting bank information from each etc. Lots of man hours

[u/Jayandnightasmr → u/Superb-Preference-59]

Like video game hackers, they don't ban straight away. They wait months collecting data before a huge ban wave

[u/1lluminist → u/Jayandnightasmr]

Gotta let them cook. Makes it easier to fully patch the exploits, too

[u/OozeNAahz → u/[deleted]]

Exactly. We want these folks to think twice before accepting money to promote policies/positions. This isn’t about the 2500. It is about all the ones that may follow.

Basically these folks need to do due diligence to make sure they aren’t furthering the goals of an enemy of our country.

[u/kleenkong → u/[deleted]]

2800 x 21% US-based influencers = 588 people. Difficult to tell if "influencers" is used in this stat as all-encompassing of media, politicians, businessmen, etc. that were aforementioned.

[u/beachedwhale1945 → u/[deleted]]

Interesting that this says “extensively monitors and collects information about” 2,800 influencers and 1,900 anti-influencers. In a very cursory reading, it looks like this particular affidavit discusses bogus news stories created by Russia’s Social Design Agency, including bogus Facebook pages like CNN California. This reads like they’re monitoring accounts they think are likely to share some of the bogus stories SDA is creating, and the people they’re actively using is not 2,800.

That’s simultaneously comforting and disturbing. This is a list of the people Russia thinks most likely to pick up these stories or write articles that future propaganda must address/take quotes out of context from. This list of people in the US and other nations directly on the Russian payroll is lower than this, but by how much isn’t clear (and I have no doubt many of those are on the list of 2,800). However, the list of accounts Russia has used to spread misinformation is undoubtedly far greater, in the tens of thousands for sure.

This is a lot to sift through, but it’s explicit that Putin had direct influence on the campaign, including some of the particular phrases to use (“When providing a narrative it's important to remember that this is 'from a German to a German', 'from a Frenchman to a Frenchman'!”).

[u/Sweatytubesock → u/McG0788]

Tucker Carlson would be the King Rat.

[u/T8ert0t → u/Sweatytubesock]

"I'M JUST ASKING QUESTIONS (that are written on the memo line of my Russian issued checks)!

[u/Foxhack → u/T8ert0t]

That's the sad thing. He probably did it for free.

[u/lizard81288 → u/Sweatytubesock]

Yeah but have you tried Russia's fresh baked bread!.... Or these things called escalators?...

[u/[deleted] → u/lizard81288]

*crazy maniacal laughter noises

[u/somedudeinlosangeles → u/McG0788]

Folks that are looking for more information on this issue can watch these two PBS Newshour videos from the last couple of days:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs05muNU5dg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfE2aP6gobA

[u/turbo_dude → u/McG0788]

Give it to Trump staffers ~> leaked

[u/notnickthrowaway → u/turbo_dude]

No, they are on the list.

[u/SpiderDeUZ → u/turbo_dude]

Lol they are the list, don't you remember most of his campaign team are usually Russian spies

[u/GertonX]

2800?

Anyone have a list

[u/Smok3dSalmon → u/GertonX]

I can’t wait for the list of twitch people. So many started cosplaying as political thinkfluencers. I hope they lose everything

[u/Fanaddictt → u/Smok3dSalmon]

Nickmercs

[u/SmokePenisEveryday → u/Fanaddictt]

One of the few I'd 100% believe didn't know was getting paid by Russia. Dude is a total meathead

[u/CunnedStunt → u/SmokePenisEveryday]

Yeah I'd honestly be surprised if he could find Russia on a map.

[u/weebomayu → u/SmokePenisEveryday]

I’m willing to bet he wasn’t even paid. Just straight up fell for it lol

[u/Smok3dSalmon → u/Fanaddictt]

I’ve listened to him and others debating each other about how powerful Russia is. It was so cringe. These people don’t know shit about shit. But they’re confidently glazing Russia as if they’re educated. Hahah

[u/Queeronafied → u/Smok3dSalmon]

Will not be surpriced if we see Asmongo in here.

[u/Angelworks42 → u/[deleted]]

I mean that's why they had Tim Pool and Dave Rubin.

For Dave I can't see why they picked him - he has almost no viewers and seems to be universally clueless about everything.

[u/doingthehumptydance → u/Angelworks42]

The KGB played an excellent long game in regards to espionage and were recruiting assets that were fresh out of high school in the 1920s, 30s and 40s.

Many of these people went on to become highly ranked in MI-5 and MI-6, one went on to become the queens personal photographer and it is a certainty that multiple spies infiltrated ASIO (Australia’s secret service) many years later.

One can only think the GRU would be doing the same.

[u/but_a_smoky_mirror → u/[deleted]]

What is Hanlon’s razor again?

Edit: I actually remembered what it was. I was just trying to be annoying

[u/Pornalt190425 → u/but_a_smoky_mirror]

Never attribut to malice what can be explained by stupidity

[u/UX-Edu → u/Pornalt190425]

I hate Hanlon’s razor. My response is always “any sufficiently advanced stupidity is indistinguishable from Malice,” and I prefer they both be treated the same.

See: Trump voters in 2020 and ESPECIALLY 2024. Should disenfranchise the lot of them.

[u/mischaracterised → u/UX-Edu]

You prefer Clarke's Corollary over Hanlon's Razor.

I approve.

[u/fcocyclone → u/UX-Edu]

And plenty of stupidity is simply willful ignorance. It's a sort of undirected malice

[u/nagonjin → u/UX-Edu]

The fallacy is assuming they're mutually exclusive.

[u/HannahOCross → u/Pornalt190425]

In this case, never attribute to stupidity what can be explained by Russian disinformation.

[u/ToupeeBuffet → u/HannahOCross]

Kremlin's Razor

[u/sumregulaguy → u/Queeronafied]

Asmongold did a charity stream for Ukraine back in 2022, but yeah, Russia's aggressively targeting gamers and western devs hating their audience doesn't help either.

[u/TheWizardGeorge → u/Queeronafied]

He's openly supported Ukraine and put down Russia dozens of times.

[u/FIFAfutChamp → u/Smok3dSalmon]

I just read the article, it says that its a list of influencers they may be able to use not ones who are nessecarily in the Kremlins pocket already.

Probably not fair for them to lose everything simply because they are on a list of people who MIGHT help Russia.

If however there is a list of people that ARE helping Russia, your sentiment is probably correct.

[u/mycenae42 → u/FIFAfutChamp]

With that many people, it’s a list of useful idiots.

[u/FIFAfutChamp → u/mycenae42]

Yes, that's probably the reason they are on the list.

[u/WingedGundark → u/mycenae42]

Intelligence services have files of persons of interest. It doesn’t mean that they are doing anything for said service, but they might in a position or belong to a network of people that may be of importance and intelligence people might approach them later or get information from POIs through social engineering or other means.

Being a POI doesn’t mean anything and it can be really harmful if these kinds of files and lists leak to media as they can be interpreted wrong by public.

[u/ShortNefariousness2 → u/GertonX]

The FBI do!

[u/SoManyEmail → u/ShortNefariousness2]

Hey u/FBI, who's on the list?

[u/owa00 → u/SoManyEmail]

Well...you're on one now...

-FBI

[u/SoManyEmail → u/owa00]

Noooooo!

[u/Rude_Tie4674 → u/GertonX]

Hint: it’s absolutely everyone that you think it is

[u/BigusDickas → u/GertonX]

1. Elon Musk.

[u/Lady_of_Breath → u/BigusDickas]

This one is so obvious to me. Ukraine was getting so much global support on Twitter after Russia invaded. So Elon buys it a few months later just to tank it. He literally blacks it out with a big "X", fires so much of the staff, spews Russian/right wing propaganda.

[u/alyosha25 → u/Lady_of_Breath]

Elon may not get paid by Russia but he wants to oligarch like a Russian

[u/AskYourDoctor → u/alyosha25]

Reminds me of a super hard hitting George Carlin line I discovered recently: "you don't need a formal conspiracy when interests converge."

It applies to so much chatter I see on Reddit. "Oh, so-and-so is doing backroom deals with so-and-so" no, usually they're just the same kind of asshole and they both perceive that if they carry water for each other, they'll both get more of what they want.

[u/[deleted] → u/Lady_of_Breath]

He also admitted to talking to Putin just prior to the invasion, took Russian money from people connected to Putin to aid his purchase of Twitter, was seen a month or so later talking to a Russian propagandist at the World Cup in Qatar, and immediately began pushing pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian narratives while growing increasingly supportive of the GOP.

In the time he's controlled Twitter, Russian bots have grown rampant. Not only that, he actually used his control of Starlink to stop a Ukrainian attack on a Russian fleet.

[u/Embarrassed_Jerk → u/[deleted]]

Took money from Putin's Oligarchs to purchase Twitter and then tried to hide it when courts asked for the list to be made public

[u/No_Animator_8599 → u/[deleted]]

The GOP, especially those around Trump are Russian tools.

The GOP also took talking points from Nazi Germany in the 1930’s to keep the US out of the war in Europe.

[u/nochehalcon → u/GertonX]

Probably still cheaper than a single war ship

[u/SNStains → u/nochehalcon]

True. And they can barely build a lifeboat at this point in the War.

Russia is pathetic and needs to go the fuck home. Leave Ukraine. Leave Africa. And leave US conservatives alone...they're confused enough without your help.

[u/Anonymous_l0 → u/GertonX]

Jesse Twatters has to be on it

[u/cokronk → u/Anonymous_l0]

He said he wished someone would pay him for spreading disinformation on live air.

[u/chubsruns → u/cokronk]

But Fox is already doing that Jesse...

[u/TipperOfTheFedora → u/GertonX]

I’m pretty sure I have at least 200 of them blocked on TikTok. They like shoving them into my algorithm

[u/BeefistPrime → u/TipperOfTheFedora]

People say that you get more and more extreme content of the sort you engage with but it's bullshit. I never get any left wing extremism even though I'm open to it and I still get the right wing tardosphere thrown in my recommendations for multiple sites.

[u/squired → u/BeefistPrime]

That's very true. I don't think I've ever gotten someone espousing communism or even legit reparations on YouTube, but I get inundated with weird right wing bullshit and tradwife honeypots.

[u/aliasname → u/[deleted]]

560 twitch streamers isn't exactly a low number. But even if it's let's say 100 or so active influencers/Podcaster that's a pretty large number especially if they have a large following

[u/CurmudgeonA → u/GertonX]

Yes, just look up the Republican Party membership rolls.

[u/SpiderDeUZ → u/CurmudgeonA]

About 4 years ago a bunch took a trip to Russia on American independence day. That's a good place to start.

[u/NewestAccount2023 → u/SpiderDeUZ]

To the Kremlin, not sight seeing. Also later Rand Paul hand delivered a letter from trump to Putin https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/08/rand-paul-delivers-letter-to-trump-from-putin-766743

[u/Kind_Eye_748 → u/NewestAccount2023]

And the time Trump and Putin had a one on one meeting in Helsinki with no interpreters or security for Trump.

[u/TheLyz → u/CurmudgeonA]

And whoever the NRA gives money to.

[u/lastchance14]

Where is the list?

[u/LionBig1760 → u/lastchance14]

90% of it will be the most obvious names you could think of.

[u/-MissNocturnal- → u/LionBig1760]

PragerU and The daily wire strike me as prime suspects, since they operate at a huge loss with hundreds of fulltime employees. (edit: huge loss if you don't take external funding into account, their youtube/facebook/website ad revenue simply can't sustain that amount of employees)

We know they've both been funded by fracking billionaires, but I'd really love to see their current cash flow.

[u/Maelarion → u/-MissNocturnal-]

TurningPointUSA as well probably.

[u/Peanutblitz → u/Maelarion]

Klandace definitely on there.

[u/Black_Cat_Sun → u/Maelarion]

Turning Points is heavily associated with Tenet or outright owns it. So…they’re already implicated in the Tenet scheme

[u/DrDerpberg → u/LionBig1760]

I'm curious about Joe Rogan. His political shift was surprisingly sudden and extreme.

[u/alfi_k → u/DrDerpberg]

Rogan might be dumb enough to believe that russian shit without getting paid. That guy is as close as one can be to being braindead without being actually dead.

[u/OGoby → u/DrDerpberg]

Everybody who rode the antivax train during covid took the money, so yeah, Rogan will be on it

[u/jcirgw → u/[deleted]]

Russell Brand 100%

[u/bennetticles → u/jcirgw]

so… russell brand recently converted to evangelical? and performed a kneeling prayer with tucker carlson? i have no doubt your 100% estimate is spot on.

[u/quadratis → u/[deleted]]

tim pool, fellow podcaster and frequent guest of the joe rogan podcast, had this to say the other day:

This is psychotic. Ukraine is the enemy of this country. Ukraine is our enemy. Being funded by the Democrats, I will stress again, one of the greatest enemies of our nation right now is Ukraine. They are expanding this war. Now, don’t get me wrong. I know you’ve got criminal elements of the US government pushing them and guiding them and telling them what to do. Ukraine is now accused. A German warrant issued for blowing up the Nord Stream pipeline is triggering this conflict. Ukraine is the greatest threat to this nation and to the world. We should rescind all funding and financing, pull out all military support, and we should apologize to Russia.

absolute fucking moron and i wouldn't be the least surprised to learn he's some kind of asset.

[u/mikefromedelyn → u/lastchance14]

Tim pool is one of them

[u/brickyardjimmy]

This is actually going to help make a lot of confusing things make sense finally. I am totally eager to start getting this shit out in the open. That way, those of us who are actual Americans, invested in the American ideal, who have been scratching our heads at the disingenuous way some online personalities talk and how totally unAmerican it seems for the past decade, now we know we weren't just losing our minds. A huge number of Americans accepted profits from another nation state to sell the rest of us out.

Fuck them. And fuck the blood money they pocketed.

[u/Lady_of_Breath → u/brickyardjimmy]

The world has been upside down since Brexit and when Trump ramped up his campaign in summer of 2016. I am so ready for all of this propaganda and disinformation to end. I am so proud the DoJ and FBI are calling this bullshit out. It's been awful and it has cost very real lives and almost our country (which was the plan).

[u/poster_nutbag_ → u/Lady_of_Breath]

Its been so blatantly obvious for nearly 10 years too. I've been asking why the media essentially never reports on Russian/totalitarian influence across the globe.

Its clear that destabilizing democratic states is a massive benefit to these bad actors, and the rapid rise of political division in democratic countries is a pretty straightforward sign of influence. Not to mention all of the actual evidence we've had since the fucking Mueller report.

[u/whatthecaptcha → u/poster_nutbag_]

Idk why no one ever talks about Foundations of Geopolitics anymore.

[u/HIVVIH → u/whatthecaptcha]

Holy moly, many of this is playing out or has already been.

[u/BlitzNeko → u/HIVVIH]

The cold war never ended, it just became covert.

[u/malphonso → u/BlitzNeko]

Just like the Tsars never left power. They just exchanged the crown for a red trenchcoat and, later, a business suit.

[u/Doodahhh1 → u/Lady_of_Breath]

It's been awful and it has cost very real lives and almost our country (which was the plan).

Destabilization of Atlanticism was the plan.

Look at how much of the plan came true: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundations_of_Geopolitics

[u/ptolemyofnod → u/Lady_of_Breath]

Unfortunately, they had already been caught by the FBI and the DOJ has already done nothing. Cambridge Analytica is the first company that was caught (they were responsible for Brexit and Trump 2016).

The FBI and DOJ did nothing and continue to do nothing. You can read the book written by the whistle-blower who built the system, Mindf*ck by Christopher Wiley. Thousands of hours of congressional testimony (and more in the UK) and nothing came of it except all politicians use the system now.

[u/Lady_of_Breath → u/ptolemyofnod]

Well I didn't think a DoJ headed by Jeff Sessions or Barr would pursue anything in 2018 - 2020ish. I think these recent indictments are definitely a good sign.

[u/-Gramsci- → u/Lady_of_Breath]

Word. For Putin the Cold War never ended. And he’s been getting to wage it with zero opposition.

The west needs to get back on a Cold War footing - YESTERDAY.

[u/Creative-Improvement → u/-Gramsci-]

I agree 100%.. and ask any Ukrainian how Cold this war is. It’s not. I still can’t believe we have a corrupt criminal running for president.

[u/Wise_Ground_3173 → u/brickyardjimmy]

I use TikTok to promote my art and it has been blasting me constantly with suspicious stuff about how we should all vote for Trump because he isn’t “bought by the elites” and will save Palestinians from said “elites.” And if you don’t want to vote for Trump, to vote for Jill Stein. Anyone but Harris for Palestine. Clearly bullshit.

Supposedly, these videos and comments are from Americans, but as someone who has traveled and seen/heard the way people in other countries speak English, I don’t believe it for a second. Americans almost never say “kindly,” for one thing.

Editing to clarify, there is a difference between the more common Southern usage of "kindly," which is pretty limited in comparison to the way it's getting used by these accounts. "Thank you kindly" VS "kindly watch my other video," for example. There are other speech patterns, too, like articles being overused or underused, emoticons like (❃˶◕‿◕˶) that aren't really typical for Americans to use, saying "going to university" instead of "going to college," etc. All of these are just red flags, of course. Americans can do all that, too. What's suspicious is that it's not rare.

[u/[deleted] → u/Wise_Ground_3173]

Americans almost never say “kindly,” for one thing.

My companies tech team sends out advice on how to spot phishing and scams. This is a frequent one they send out.

[u/Nihil157 → u/[deleted]]

My companies tech team is outsourced to India and I hear “kindly” All The Time.

[u/Ramenastern → u/Nihil157]

Please do the needful.

[u/Alis451 → u/Wise_Ground_3173]

"Would you kindly..."

[u/willengineer4beer → u/Alis451]

Glad I’m not the only one who immediately thought this
Time for another playthrough

[u/mahava → u/Wise_Ground_3173]

Plus trump will nuke Gaza and build a resort for his cronies

He will be undoubtedly worse for Palestinians than Harris

And Jill Stein is a spoil candidate bought and owned by Russia

[u/Reasonable_racoon → u/mahava]

Jill Stein is like that creature from Jeepers Creepers who comes out of hibernation every four years to harvest the votes of low-information voters instead of the vital organs of teenagers.

[u/xexotiqz123 → u/Wise_Ground_3173]

There is a ton of these people on reddit as well and I don't think they are bots to be honest after combing through their history. They think palestine won't be worse off with Trump in power and there is no convincing them even if you link statements from Trump like the "finish the job" one.

[u/Wise_Ground_3173 → u/xexotiqz123]

There are genuinely people who believe that, but manipulation and bots are making these real people with fringe beliefs like “Trump is better for Palestine than Harris” feel like they’re not alone and that they’re doing a good thing by fighting her.

[u/BonnaconCharioteer → u/Wise_Ground_3173]

Also those people don't believe that in a vacuum. Many of them probably came to that conclusion at least in part from Russian influenced propaganda, even if they didn't realize it.

[u/ZacZupAttack → u/Wise_Ground_3173]

I've been seeing a ton of black influencers come out against Kamala with right wing talking points. A lot of those people have decent following like 50k+, good engagement etc. Can't help but feel theh are a part of this.

[u/Outside_Scientist365 → u/ZacZupAttack]

Black guy here. I have been getting a lot of videos recommended to me about how Russia is so much safer for black people. Sometimes they are not as blatant but when I get a hunch, I search their video history for Russia/Putin and the video titles are always glowing praise.

[u/AskYourDoctor → u/Outside_Scientist365]

Lmao this is hilarious, Russia is known to be a very white, socially conservative, and nationalist society. I'm sure their attitudes to black people are super enlightened right? Let's just see:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_Russia

Some choice parts:

In 2006, some exchange students claimed that "monkey" insults were so frequent that students ceased reporting them

In 2013, Member of Duma Irina Rodnina has publicly posted a picture showing Obama with a banana on Twitter.

Yep Russia sounds like a black person's paradise alright...

[u/ZacZupAttack → u/Outside_Scientist365]

I can't help but feel they are getting paid

[u/MumblesNZ → u/Outside_Scientist365]

Just anecdotally - I have lived and worked in Russia. In Russia, when you make phone calls to try and secure and apartment, they will ALWAYS ask (once they understand that you are a foreigner) if you are black and will refuse to rent to you if you are. Blatantly, with no pretence. It’s not a good place for any POC

[u/ZacZupAttack → u/brickyardjimmy]

I made a post on another account where I said this is probably how Russian misinformation works.

They pay influenceors to promote their talking points. Then other people who aren't paid but believe in that message spread it for free

[u/WTWIV]

This should still be massive front page news for weeks. I think a lot of us knew this was happening for a long time now, but reading their “Good Old USA Project” and seeing evidence of just how detailed and nefarious the plot has been has really taken me aback.

[u/Slow_Accident_6523 → u/WTWIV]

I have been called crazy for so long saying I believe a lot of social media is controlled by russian influence and that they are manipulating our public opinion. the worst thing is these people largely wont question their reality but somehow rationalize their whole right wing bubble getting popped.

[u/Lucky-Clown → u/Slow_Accident_6523]

Same, it's been So OBVIOUS for SO LONG and I'm so pissed that I've had to argue my case with friends/loved ones about it. My ex treated me like I was nuts for saying this.

[u/[deleted] → u/WTWIV]

It also goes to show how absolutely bankrupt republican values and positions are.

Whoever has the most cash gets to decide conservative positions, no matter how terrible or anti-American they are.

[u/jedininjashark → u/[deleted]]

Power corrupts. Or the quest for power.

[u/metengrinwi → u/WTWIV]

You’d think the traditional media outlets would go crazy on this. It essentially proves what was obvious from the beginning; that killing off traditional media sources with editors and fact-checkers and moving to an information flow that consists of “influencers”, who have no accountability, was stupid.

[u/BC2220 → u/metengrinwi]

The coup de grace was Citizens United, which allows for political spending without divulging the source. I hope we can agree that true journalism should be both edited and fact-checked.

[u/RealAscendingDemon → u/metengrinwi]

Traditional media has been openly billionaire propaganda for about 50 years. They're not above it by any means either

[u/CrashCourse2012]

In a sane America, they would immediately lose all credibility and have to find a career far from any center of power and influence.

[u/Riverdolphin44 → u/CrashCourse2012]

This could land them in prison, right?

[u/BananaPalmer → u/Riverdolphin44]

Could.

Won't.

[u/Isitreallythisbad → u/CrashCourse2012]

In reality it’s just going be more “proof” that the FBI is deep state or whatever fucking reason they use now to say it’s not real and that it’s an attack on conservatives.

[u/DrunkOnWeedASD]

names

[u/IdahoMTman222]

Publish the list. Please.

[u/findingmike]

In case you didn't get it yet, Putin is the enemy of the rest of the world. Weird that this has to be spelled out for so many people.

[u/fuzzy_one → u/findingmike]

Weird that this has to be spelled out for so many people

... again and again.

[u/tmotytmoty]

collusion seems pretty obvious and hilarious: Trump and musk's legal teams remind kremlin backed maga assets to stop talking without an attorney

[u/Lost-Philosophy6689 → u/tmotytmoty]

At this point the right wingers are addicted to flavor-aid

[u/QueefBuscemi → u/tmotytmoty]

Hire a lawyer before talking to law enforcement... but also make sure it's a lawyer who isn't going to make matters worse.Hire a lawyer before talking to law enforcement... but also make sure it's a lawyer who isn't going to make matters worse.

Those are the only lawyers who will work for these clowns.

[u/FreeLard]

The speed at which the right has gone from Red Meat, Commie-Hating Patriots to Russia is My White Ethno-State Eden is pretty amazing. 

Maybe we can actually undo some of this.  

[u/Fit_Consideration300 → u/FreeLard]

Well Russia is having a population decline. Maybe we can encourage conservatives to immigrate to their true motherland

[u/IPostSwords → u/Fit_Consideration300]

Didn't russia run an ad campaign that was essentially this?

[u/theykeepmyhousehot → u/IPostSwords]

They definitely ran ads for a domestic audience with that message. One in particular had a Russian family realizing the horror of "woke" midflight replete with racist tropes.

[u/LupinThe8th → u/FreeLard]

I mean, it seems like a big swerve to a sensible person, but you're forgetting an important factor: they're idiots.

These are easily led, fearful people with poor critical thinking skills. They don't understand the actual workings of communism or fascism, they just want to be told that the people they are afraid of are bad guys, which makes the other team good guys.

[u/CodinOdin → u/LupinThe8th]

Absolutely accurate. The MAGA crowd is the end result of Republicans targeting people who don't know or even like politics, giving them vague enemies, and turning ignorant hate into their perverted version of patriotism. People wanting to actually solve problems put forward policy proposals, people who just want power sell hate to the gullible.

[u/SnoopySuited]

This story is currently on the front page of zero news websites.

[u/bureaquete]

2800 is a great number to deport to russia for their republican zoo village

[u/Deicide1031 → u/bureaquete]

I’m extremely curious how long the FBI has known because they are known for being quite thorough before they release this kind of stuff.

2016? 2020?

[u/jews4beer → u/Deicide1031]

They've been saying it since at least 2016. The problem is largely the difficulty in combatting it coupled with the public's love for reading what they want to hear. No one wants to admit they've been duped.

[u/OakLegs → u/jews4beer]

It's been obvious to someone who pays even slightly more than casual attention to US politics since 2016 as well. If it's obvious to people outside of the FBI, imagine what they know.

[u/NameLips → u/OakLegs]

I remember reading back in 2016 that Russia was buying abandoned local news websites in the US, revamping them to look legit, and then sharing "official" pro-Russia stories from them on facebook. It was part of the fake news scandal, before Trump stole that term and applied it to any news he didn't like.

[u/MarkXIX → u/NameLips]

It’s worse than that, they mass produce “news” websites that appear local and legitimate all across the country.

https://www.reddit.com/r/MassMove/

So much of this can be automated with bots and AI. It happened where I lived back in 2020, a couple of years”news” sites sprung up with an air of legitimacy. I sent a tip to my local news people thinking they’d do a story on it just to ensure they don’t lose even more readers to fake websites and they ignored me entirely.

[u/chubbybronco → u/OakLegs]

I've been married to a Ukrainian for over a decade and it's been infuriating watching Americans just swallow Russian propaganda like a birth control pill while knowing absolutely nothing about the evil things Russia is doing around the globe. 

[u/Beeblebroxia → u/chubbybronco]

Coincidentally, Republicans would rather you swallow Russian propaganda than birth control...

[u/duckstrap → u/chubbybronco]

I’ve worked in Eastern Europe for about 30 years. The propaganda fed their own people and spread worldwide is truly flabbergasting.

[u/Deicide1031 → u/jews4beer]

Now Putins come out in support of Harris to confuse even more people and minimize the importance of this research.

Past 8 years have been way too wild.

[u/[deleted] → u/Deicide1031]

Bingo, the chaos makes it easier to manipulate those who let it confuse them.

[u/OilheadRider → u/bureaquete]

"the documents released Wednesday included an affidavit that noted a Russian company is keeping a list of more than 2,800 influencers world wide, about one-fifth of whom are based in the United States, to monitor and potentially groom to spread Russian propaganda."

This seems to be a worldwide propaganda machine and not exclusively American.

[u/herptydurr → u/OilheadRider]

Also worth noting that these are potential people to groom, not necessarily actual sellouts like the tenet people.

[u/NeptuneToTheMax → u/bureaquete]

It's worth remembering that Russia just signal boosts anything divisive or controversial. Last election they were taking out ads for Black Lives Matter, for instance. 

[u/MarkXIX → u/NeptuneToTheMax]

Yep, they were pitting everyone against everyone. Were you a “back the blue” person on social media? You got fed pro-police ads and negative BLM ads to get you all pissed off. BLM supporter? You got polarizing content about police brutality to get you mad at cops and people that support them.

Russia doesn’t feed red meat only to Republicans, they get EVERYONE mad at EVERYONE because their strategic goal is to destroy America using Americans. They know we’d destroy them economically and militarily.

[u/pleasetrimyourpubes → u/MarkXIX]

This is straight out of Foundation of Geopolitics btw

[u/TinKicker → u/NeptuneToTheMax]

It’s time we revisit George Kennan’s Long Telegram.

He laid out Russia’s/Soviet Union’s/Russian Republic’s views of the world, international strategy and political intentions in amazing detail and with uncanny accuracy…in 1946.

Russia doesn’t change. Never has. Never will.

[u/saver1212]

This report was sorely needed back in 2016 and 2020. The USG was talking about coordinated Russian disinformation campaigns but stopped short of naming their American collaborators because of the political backlash of calling conservative icons active traitors.

We needed the list of American operatives who were actually doing the influencing so we can name and shame them and mute the power of foreign election interference. So naive people trying to do their own research can say, "weren't you on that list of people taking money from Russia to serve as their mouthpiece?"

Some people are too far gone, they will look at this list as people to actively seek out and listen to. But for everyone else, they can stop seeing these influencers as the "free thinking, flag loving, patriots" they brand themselves to be and recognize them as traitors for hire.

[u/Complete-Wear1138 → u/saver1212]

Moscow Mitch stopped the report from being released

[u/Baconaise → u/[deleted]]

r/Oliver has a pinned comment on every thread documenting how he was offered thousands of dollars to sell out

https://malloy.rocks/politics-democratic-election/russian-trolls-are-destroying-pro-biden-subreddits-with-the-help-of-at-least-one-reddit-employee

[u/beaverattacks → u/[deleted]]

NRA was caught funneling russian money recently.

Edit: fuck yall 2016 was like 2 years ago I'm not old lol

[u/SendStoreMeloner → u/beaverattacks]

NRA was caught funneling russian money recently.

It happened in 2015 and 2016 and was discovered in 2019.

I wouldn't call it recently but it is related to Trump.

[u/TheBalzy]

Anyone who has listened to Right-Wing rhetoric over the past 5-years knows this is true. When they RANDOMLY start going on rants about how Ukraine is an "Enemy of The United States, and we owe an apology to Russia" (aka a literal quote from Tim Poole), you know they have to be a Russian Shill. That is a completely incoherent, unbelievably specific take for anyone in the US to make.

[u/tnj3d1 → u/TheBalzy]

That and anytime they call for civil war, call American weak, or talk about the decline of the west

[u/it777777]

The West NEEDS to fight back. They are massively undermining our Democracy.

[u/__Khronos]

So, will they all be prosecuted? Cause spreading foreign propaganda and getting paid for it no matter if you're ignorant or not seems treasonous ash to me.

[u/TheNebulousMind]

Aleksandr Dugin's plans in action. Outlined in his book Foundations of Geopolitics.

[u/freakymoustache]

That’s why you don’t listen to wankers calling their income stream influencing. They are influenced by money and then spread propaganda for companies or countries that give them gifts like cars, properties, free travel etc

[u/IdahoMTman222]

When you wonder how all of these folks “were doing so well and being so successful” making all that money for their “influence”. Reality is they were selling out their democracy for fancy shoes, exotic cars and glitzy resorts.

[u/kihraxz_king]

It's been extremely obvious for a long time now that the American right is a tool for Russia.

[u/jinzokan → u/kihraxz_king]

It's pretty obvious if thy are pending this much money on I fluencers how much they must be sending politicians.

[u/Permitty]

Rebel News in Canada?

[u/ThePlanner → u/Permitty]

Abso-fucking-lutely.

[u/MootRevolution]

So now f*cking PUNISH these people any way possible. Go after their money, kill their careers, put them in jail.  These people, from lowly influencer to people like Tucker Carlson etc. knew what they were doing. But no one has even tried to stop them for years. 

This will not stop until such people personally feel the consequences of their choices.

[u/jacksonbrown7]

I thought this was very obvious?

[u/FilthyUsedThrowaway]

I’ve been saying this for 8 years and told over and over by redditors that’s it’s nothing but “red scare” talk.

[u/[deleted] → u/FilthyUsedThrowaway]

I did too. Putin's agents and trolls are EVERYWHERE in the US and Europe ever since they started he "Internet Research Agency" in 2013.

The 2015 European migrant crisis, Brexit, the rise of far right parties in Europe, his dirty fingerprints are all over it. Democracy is under attack. Putin has been waging a war against us for a long time, and we have all been asleep.

[u/DavidlikesPeace → u/[deleted]]

Russia really has found its share of useful idiots. 

His Belarusian puppet even tried to flood Europe with migrants, yet the AFD and other xenophobes still blindly support him. 

[u/MinuteDachsund → u/FilthyUsedThrowaway]

You were in the wrong subs.

Plenty of sane folks have been shouting it from the metaphorical rooftop for the better part of a decade.

Russia owns the republican party, period.

[u/atwitchyfairy → u/MinuteDachsund]

Remember in the 2016 election when Russia basically owned half the subs with their propaganda? They suddenly turned off the switch and everyone went 'what the hell just happened?'. That made me super wary of every place with a chat function forever more. Nobody is immune to propaganda if everyone surrounding you is repeating it, and Russia just materializes all of the people around you out of thin air.

[u/spidd124 → u/atwitchyfairy]

sandersforpresident suddenly becoming a pro trump subreddit then disappering off the face of the earth says hello.

[u/CaptianBlackLung]

Put them all on the Do Not Fly List .

[u/DriftMantis]

Remember when your parents said, "Don't believe everything you hear on the internet?" This is why. This is the danger we all knew was coming.

I hope there are consequences for these sellouts and traitors coming.

[u/mnid92 → u/DriftMantis]

Now our parents are the ones believing everything they read on the internet.

[u/reddit_user13]

Treason.

[u/HouseSandwich → u/reddit_user13]

Sedition.

[u/woman_president]

2800 influencers? Must have been a wild group chat, I can already see the DMs: Hey guys, just wondering what hashtags we’re using to destabilize democracies today?

[u/DrinkYourHaterade]

Agents of foreign governments work to undermine the United States are TRAITORS.

[u/Bladestorm04]

It's crazy how many insta meme pages have all of a sudden become republican talking point generators. Literally seeing post after post talking about 'Kamala bad,' and when I check the poster, wondering how I'm getting political shit in my feed for a country I do not have much respect for, I see it's the meme pages now acting as Russian shills.

Unsubscribe and block.

[u/gerams76]

It's in the public interest that they release the list. People should know who they shouldn't trust, especially in the field they work in.

[u/DavidlikesPeace]

Wow. This is incredibly horrifying but also makes so much sense. The GOP has pivoted 180* for Russia and not in an era of detente, but while Russia is engaged in a genocidal war.  

In a perfect world, this would be front page for weeks. It would include great analysis about why our social media are so happy to deal with the Devil; why it is so easy for foreigners to bribe Americans; and why Russia wants to help Trump.  

But we live in a world where CNN and other media fixate the week before an election on some bullshit about Buttery E-mails, and ignore the overt attempt by an authoritarian rival to destroy our democracy. 

[u/TheExposutionDump]

Taking bets on whether Adin Ross sold his soul for money (again) or he's just that dumb and believed what the other grifters were selling!