Russians Indicted by FBI for Interference in 2016 Elections

[HCTC]

Actions Targeting the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election pg. 16

1. By approximately May 2014, Defendants and their co-conspirators discussed efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Defendants and their co-conspirators began to monitor U.S. social media accounts and other sources of information about the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
   
   Pg.18
2. In or around the latter half of 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators, through their ORGANIZATION-controlled personas, began to encourage U.S. minority groups not to vote in the 2016 U.S. presidential election or to vote for a third-party U.S. presidential candidate.

a. On or about October 16, 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators used the ORGANIZATION-controlled Instagram account “Woke Blacks” to post the following message: “[A] particular hype and hatred for Trump is misleading the people and forcing Blacks to vote Killary. We cannot resort to the lesser of two devils. Then we’d surely be better off without voting AT ALL.”
b. On or about November 3, 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators purchased an advertisement to promote a post on the ORGANIZATION-controlled Instagram account “Blacktivist” that read in part: “Choose peace and vote for Jill Stein. Trust me, it’s not a wasted vote.”
c. By in or around early November 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators used the ORGANIZATION-controlled “United Muslims of America” social media accounts to post anti-vote messages such as: “American Muslims [are] boycotting elections today, most of the American Muslim voters refuse to vote for Hillary Clinton because she wants to continue the war on Muslims in the middle east and voted yes for invading Iraq.”

1. Starting in or around the summer of 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators also began to promote allegations of voter fraud by the Democratic Party through their fictitious U.S. personas and groups on social media. Defendants and their co-conspirators purchased advertisements on Facebook to further promote the allegations.

a. On or about August 4, 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators began purchasing advertisements that promoted a post on the ORGANIZATION-controlled Facebook account “Stop A.I.” The post alleged that “Hillary Clinton has already committed voter fraud during the Democrat Iowa Caucus.”
b. On or about August 11, 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators posted that allegations of voter fraud were being investigated in North Carolina on the ORGANIZATION-controlled Twitter account @TEN_GOP.
c. On or about November 2, 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators used the same account to post allegations of “#VoterFraud by counting tens of thousands of ineligible mail in Hillary votes being reported in Broward County, Florida.”

 

[niceatheist]

niceatheist:

When it comes to abortion on demand, though, it is.

Is it? Really? It strikes me that a good many Catholics only have mildly negative views of abortion; as in “well, it’s bad and all, but…”

There are certainly things about which American Catholics differ, but there isn’t a lot of disagreement about abortion. 89% of Catholics believe abortion is sinful. Only a tiny minority think otherwise.
http://www.pewforum.org/2015/09/02/chapter-5-beliefs-about-sin/

As the Pew Research shows, believing abortion is sinful does not equate to 89% of Catholics wanting it banned. And that’s your real problem around these parts. A lot of people here seem to assume that most American Catholics’ negative views on abortion translated into wanting to limit or eliminate it, and that just isn’t so. And that’s just Catholics.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Let’s not beat around the bush here. Those who favor the older liturgy and older practices are called “backward” and there are a ton of people who call them that, not just DNC. Even the Pope has hinted this position. I don’t see it as anti-Catholic.

Except that the DNC didn’t make that distinction. They didn’t limit their critique or their subversion to the ultra-traditional Tridentine types. They were talking about abortion in calling the Church “backward” and “medieval”. And who do you think Clinton was talking about when she opined that some would have to “change their religion” to accommodate abortion. The majority of Catholics (as mentioned above) really do consider abortion evil. It’s not just the trads.

And so, you consider people who consider abortion on demand an evil to be opposed, “backward”? Do you really think the Pope does too?

 

[HCTC]

EXCERPT FROM FBI INDICTMENT pg. 19

Political Advertisements
48. From at least April 2016 through November 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators, while concealing their Russian identities and ORGANIZATION affiliation through false personas, began to produce, purchase, and post advertisements on U.S. social media and other online sites expressly advocating for the election of then-candidate Trump or expressly opposing Clinton. Defendants and their co-conspirators did not report their expenditures to the Federal Election Commission, or register as foreign agents with the U.S. Department of Justice.
49. To pay for the political advertisements, Defendants and their co-conspirators established various Russian bank accounts and credit cards, often registered in the names of fictitious U.S. personas created and used by the ORGANIZATION on social media. Defendants and their co- conspirators also paid for other political advertisements using PayPal accounts.

 

[Ridgerunner]

As the Pew Research shows, believing abortion is sinful does not equate to 89% of Catholics wanting it banned. And that’s your real problem around these parts. A lot of people here seem to assume that most American Catholics’ negative views on abortion translated into wanting to limit or eliminate it, and that just isn’t so. And that’s just Catholics.

Most Americans do want restrictions on abortion. It’s the Dem party that wants no restrictions at all.

Abortion poll finds 81% Americans, 66% pro-choice advocates support restrictions on procedure

www.washingtontimes.com

 

[Ridgerunner]

I heard on TV that the Russian expenditures in Pennsylvania totaled $300. In Ohio, they were much more extravagant, spending $850.00.

This country is being played for fools by the Russians, all right, but it’s not influence the Russians had on the election. It’s the manipulation of our political system by manufacturing distrust in hopes of inducing paralysis. The more I see of this, the more I’m convinced of it.

Putin isn’t stupid. He sought, with a very minimal amount of investment, to exacerbate that divisions in American society, and he succeeded. The MSM is in Trump attack mode every single day. If we knew everything, he probably still is doing it.

 

[HCTC]

EXCERPT FROM FBI INDICTMENT

COUNT ONE
(Conspiracy to Defraud the United States)

1. On or about August 2, 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators used the false U.S. persona “Matt Skiber” Facebook account to send a private message to a real Facebook account, “Florida for Trump,” set up to assist then-candidate Trump in the state of Florida. In the first message, Defendants and their co-conspirators wrote:

Hi there! I’m a member of Being Patriotic online community. Listen, we’ve got an idea. Florida is still a purple state and we need to paint it red. If we lose Florida, we lose America. We can’t let it happen, right? What about organizing a YUGE pro-Trump flash mob in every Florida town? We are currently reaching out to local activists and we’ve got the folks who are okay to be in charge of organizing their events almost everywhere in FL. However, we still need your support. What do you think about that? Are you in?

1. On or about August 2, 2016, and August 3, 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators, through the use of a stolen identity of a real U.S. person, T.W., sent emails to certain grassroots groups located in Florida that stated in part:

My name is [T.W.] and I represent a conservative patriot community named as “Being Patriotic.” . . . So we’re gonna organize a flash mob across Florida to support Mr. Trump. We clearly understand that the elections winner will be predestined by purple states. And we must win Florida. . . . We got a lot of volunteers in ~25 locations and it’s just the beginning. We’re currently choosing venues for each

 

[HCTC]

I heard on TV that the Russian expenditures in Pennsylvania totaled $300. In Ohio, they were much more extravagant, spending $850.00.

COUNT ONE
(Conspiracy to Defraud the United States)

b. By in or around September 2016, the ORGANIZATION’s monthly budget for Project Lakhta submitted to CONCORD exceeded 73 million Russian rubles (over 1,250,000 U.S. dollars), including approximately one million rubles in bonus payments.

 

[niceatheist]

niceatheist:

As the Pew Research shows, believing abortion is sinful does not equate to 89% of Catholics wanting it banned. And that’s your real problem around these parts. A lot of people here seem to assume that most American Catholics’ negative views on abortion translated into wanting to limit or eliminate it, and that just isn’t so. And that’s just Catholics.

Most Americans do want restrictions on abortion. It’s the Dem party that wants no restrictions at all.
Abortion poll finds 81% Americans, 66% pro-choice advocates support restrictions on procedure - Washington Times

If you ask a nuanced question, yes, a slim majority of Americans don’t want unregulated abortion, but a majority do not favor an absolute ban. CAF is very much in a minority among Americans, and only represents some portion of American Catholics.

 

[Ridgerunner]

. By in or around September 2016, the ORGANIZATION’s monthly budget for Project Lakhta submitted to CONCORD exceeded 73 million Russian rubles (over 1,250,000 U.S. dollars), including approximately one million rubles in bonus payments.

How much of this was for propaganda to Russians and how much to America? Regardless, Clinton’s campaign cost nearly a billion dollars and she probably got that much value again from the media.

I don’t much doubt this was against U.S. laws, but it sure does not point to a successful effort to sway an election. To fan the flames of division, though, it might well have served its purpose and still might be doing it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If you ask a nuanced question, yes, a slim majority of Americans don’t want unregulated abortion, but a majority do not favor an absolute ban. CAF is very much in a minority among Americans, and only represents some portion of American Catholics.

CAF participants who are Catholic and not trolls or progressive oppositionists probably are not typical of American Catholics. But there is always hope for the conversion of the rest.

 

[niceatheist]

niceatheist:

If you ask a nuanced question, yes, a slim majority of Americans don’t want unregulated abortion, but a majority do not favor an absolute ban. CAF is very much in a minority among Americans, and only represents some portion of American Catholics.

CAF participants who are Catholic and not trolls or progressive oppositionists probably are not typical of American Catholics. But there is always hope for the conversion of the rest.

That may as be, but there are a number of people here who seem to assume that if one is an American and a Catholic, that somehow automatically means that one wants Roe v Wade overturned, and ultimately, all abortions made illegal, and that simply is not true; it’s not true of all American Catholics, and certainly not true of Americans in general. The majority of Americans simply are not opposed to abortion, and at best are opposed to “abortion on demand”, whatever that may mean, and that is only a slim majority of Americans.

 

[HCTC]

I don’t much doubt this was against U.S. laws, but it sure does not point to a successful effort to sway an election

EXCERPT FROM FBI INDICTMENT

1. In order to collect additional intelligence, Defendants and their co-conspirators posed as U.S. persons and contacted U.S. political and social activists. For example, starting in or around June 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators, posing online as U.S. persons, communicated with a real U.S. person affiliated with a Texas-based grassroots organization. During the exchange, Defendants and their co-conspirators learned from the real U.S. person that they should focus their activities on “purple states like Colorado, Virginia & Florida.” After that exchange, Defendants and their co-conspirators commonly referred to targeting “purple states” in directing their efforts.
2. To measure the impact of their online social media operations, Defendants and their co- conspirators tracked the performance of content they posted over social media. They tracked the size of the online U.S. audiences reached through posts, different types of engagement with the posts (such as likes, comments, and reposts), changes in audience size, and other metrics. Defendants and their co-conspirators received and maintained metrics reports on certain group pages and individualized posts.
3. Defendants and their co-conspirators also regularly evaluated the content posted by specialists (sometimes referred to as “content analysis”) to ensure they appeared authentic—as if operated by U.S. persons. Specialists received feedback and directions to improve the quality of their posts. Defendants and their co-conspirators issued or received guidance on: ratios of text, graphics, and video to use in posts; the number of accounts to operate; and the role of each account (for example, differentiating a main account from which to post information and auxiliary accounts to promote a main account through links and reposts).

 

[Ridgerunner]

That may as be, but there are a number of people here who seem to assume that if one is an American and a Catholic, that somehow automatically means that one wants Roe v Wade overturned, and ultimately, all abortions made illegal, and that simply is not true; it’s not true of all American Catholics, and certainly not true of Americans in general. The majority of Americans simply are not opposed to abortion, and at best are opposed to “abortion on demand”, whatever that may mean, and that is only a slim majority of Americans.

Actually, the percentage of Americans who would limit abortions is quite high.

But even if it was a minority, the evil of abortion is still evil. Morality, to Catholics, does not depend on consensus.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That does not prove they were successful. Rosenstein himself said they weren’t. And if this was a serious effort to sway “purple states”, why did they only spend $300 in Pennsylvania and $850 in Ohio?

Did you not read the “interview” of a St. Petersburg participant in WaPo? It was a ridiculous effort. One truly does wonder whether it was seriously intended to sway voters or a poison pill dropped into our political system.

Unless one wants to believe the Russians are incredibly stupid, one has to believe it’s the latter.

 

[HCTC]

EXCERPT FROM FBI INDICTMENT

1. Defendants and their co-conspirators also traveled, and attempted to travel, to the United States under false pretenses in order to collect intelligence for their interference operations.

a. KRYLOVA and BOGACHEVA, together with other Defendants and co- conspirators, planned travel itineraries, purchased equipment (such as cameras, SIM cards, and drop phones), and discussed security measures (including “evacuation scenarios”) for Defendants who traveled to the United States.

b. To enter the United States, KRYLOVA, BOGACHEVA, R. BOVDA, and another co-conspirator applied to the U.S. Department of State for visas to travel. During their application process, KRYLOVA, BOGACHEVA, R. BOVDA, and their co- conspirator falsely claimed they were traveling for personal reasons and did not fully disclose their place of employment to hide the fact that they worked for the ORGANIZATION.

c. Only KRYLOVA and BOGACHEVA received visas, and from approximately June 4, 2014 through June 26, 2014, KRYLOVA and BOGACHEVA traveled in and around the United States, including stops in Nevada, California, New Mexico, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Louisiana, Texas, and New York to gather intelligence. After the trip, KRYLOVA and BURCHIK exchanged an intelligence report regarding the trip.

d. Another co-conspirator who worked for the ORGANIZATION traveled to Atlanta, Georgia from approximately November 26, 2014 through November 30, 2014. Following the trip, the co-conspirator provided POLOZOV a summary of his trip’s itinerary and expenses.

 

[niceatheist]

Actually, the percentage of Americans who would limit abortions is quite high.

Limited is not the same as illegal. And I suspect even within that group that wants it limited, you’re going to find little consensus on what those limits should be.

But even if it was a minority, the evil of abortion is still evil. Morality, to Catholics, does not depend on consensus.

Which has precious little to do with whether Americans in general view it as something they want banned. There are plenty of things that individual religious groups view as evil that are legal, with little or no prospect of them becoming illegal. In fact, despite all the mighty talk among certain religious groups of a renewing of American morality, the US, like most other industrialized countries, is steadily becoming more liberal.

 

[HCTC]

And if this was a serious effort to sway “purple states”, why did they only spend $300 in Pennsylvania and $850 in Ohio?

Seriously? What you saw on TV is the final word on what Russia spent in PA and Ohio? I think you’re smarter than that!

Russian operatives’ posts cited in indictment:

“Hi there! I’m a member of Being Patriotic online community. Listen, we’ve got an idea. Florida is still a purple state and we need to paint it red. If we lose Florida, we lose America. We can’t let it happen, right? What about organizing a YUGE pro-Trump flash mob in every Florida town? We are currently reaching out to local activists and we’ve got the folks who are okay to be in charge of organizing their events almost everywhere in FL. However, we still need your support. What do you think about that? Are you in?”

“My name is [T.W.] and I represent a conservative patriot community named as “Being Patriotic.” . . . So we’re gonna organize a flash mob across Florida to support Mr. Trump. We clearly understand that the elections winner will be predestined by purple states. And we must win Florida. . . . We got a lot of volunteers in ~25 locations and it’s just the beginning. We’re currently choosing venues for each.”

 

[Ridgerunner]

Seriously? What you saw on TV is the final word on what Russia spent in PA and Ohio? I think you’re smarter than that!

When competing claims come out, we can look at them and compare.

So, those two posts were cited? Well, I don’t much doubt they were illegal. But what actually came of them? If Rosenstein, who is no friend of Trump’s, says the efforts of the 13 St. Petersburg Russkies didn’t affect the outcome of the election, then I think we have pretty good reason to believe it.

I think it makes a lot more sense to believe those bogus posts were poison pills meant to stir up dissent and party-based hostility later. As real attempts to sway an election, they’re too inept to credit.

 

[HCTC]

So, those two posts were cited? Well, I don’t much doubt they were illegal. But what actually came of them?

Those two posts were cited because they demonstrate the Russian intention to impact the outcome of the election and the sophistication of their effort.