BLUF:[Daily Caller] Operatives connected with tech firm New Knowledge created thousands of Twitter accounts posing as Russian bots to boost the election-year chances of Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, The New York Times reported on Dec. 19. The accounts began following then-Republican senatorial candidate Roy Moore’s Twitter account in October 2017. Jones has since called for a probe.
The scheme worked like a charm. It attracted attention from local and national media, falsely suggesting Russia was backing Moore’s candidacy. The Montgomery Advertiser, for instance, was the first to cover the story using the Russian bot angle. National media outlets quickly followed suit. Some media pundits even mocked Moore for accusing Democrats of trolling his account.
Former President Barack Obama campaign organizer, Mikey Dickerson, was instrumental in a disinformation campaign targeting Moore, reports show, as was Evan Coren, who has worked for the National Archives unit since Obama’s first term. Hoffman and his associates were connected to another misinformation campaign during that same year.