Russian-Linked Facebook Ads Targeted Michigan and Wisconsin

While Der Trumpenführer continues to lie and claim that the entire Russiagate investigation is "fake news" and a "hoax,"  more and more information is unfolding that increasingly suggests that Trump won on November 8, 2016, for one reason: Russian assistance in the form of targeted (and false) social media ads aimed at harming Hillary Clinton and pushing Trump over the finish line.  Indeed, CNN is reporting that these Russian sourced ads specifically targeted Michigan and Wisconsin which Trump won by very small margins and as a result, prevailed in the Electoral College despite his 3 million vote loss in the popular vote.  One ultimate irony is that many who see themselves as the "real Americans" and super patriots voted for Vladimir Putin's chosen candidate.  If Putin sought to destabilize America internally and to lessen its influence in the world, Putin has certainly gotten his wish over the last none months.  Here are highlights from the CNN report (note that even GOP nutcase John Cornyn states we are looking at "just the tip of the iceberg"):

A number of Russian-linked Facebook ads specifically targeted Michigan and Wisconsin, two states crucial to Donald Trump's victory last November, according to four sources with direct knowledge of the situation.

Some of the Russian ads appeared highly sophisticated in their targeting of key demographic groups in areas of the states that turned out to be pivotal, two of the sources said. The ads employed a series of divisive messages aimed at breaking through the clutter of campaign ads online, including promoting anti-Muslim messages, sources said. It has been unclear until now exactly which regions of the country were targeted by the ads. And while one source said that a large number of ads appeared in areas of the country that were not heavily contested in the elections, some clearly were geared at swaying public opinion in the most heavily contested battlegrounds. Michigan saw the closest presidential contest in the country -- Trump beat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by about 10,700 votes out of nearly 4.8 million ballots cast. Wisconsin was also one of the tightest states, and Trump won there by only about 22,700 votes. Both states, which Trump carried by less than 1%, were key to his victory in the Electoral College. As part of their investigations, both special counsel Robert Mueller and congressional committees are seeking to determine whether the Russians received any help from Trump associates in where to target the ads. White House officials could not be reached for comment on this story. The President and senior White House officials have long insisted there was never any collusion with Russia, with Trump contending the matter is a "hoax." The focus on Michigan and Wisconsin also adds more evidence that the Russian group tied to the effort was employing a wide range of tactics potentially aimed at interfering in the election. In all, Facebook estimates the entire Russian effort was seen by 10 million people.  Facebook could still be weaponized again for the 2018 midterms Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN the panel was still assessing the full geographical breakdown of the Russian ads and whether there was any assistance from individuals associated with the Trump campaign. "Obviously, we're looking at any of the targeting of the ads, as well as any targeting of efforts to push out the fake or false news or negative accounts against Hillary Clinton, to see whether they demonstrate a sophistication that would be incompatible with not having access to data analytics from the campaign," Schiff said Tuesday evening. [S]ome of the ads were aimed at reaching voters who may be susceptible to anti-Muslim messages, even suggesting that Muslims were a threat to the American way of life. Such messaging could presumably appeal to voters attracted to Trump's hard-line stance against immigration and calls to ban Muslims from entering the United States. Lawmakers have only started to assess the scope of the data, and sources from both parties said the 3,000 ads touched on a range of polarizing topics, including the Second Amendment and civil rights issues. The ads were aimed at suppressing the votes and sowing discontent among the electorate, the sources said. Members from both parties said that there was a clear sophistication in the Russian ad campaign, and they said they were only just beginning to learn the full extent of the social media efforts. "It's consistent with everything else we've seen in terms of Russian active measures -- a combination of cyber, of propaganda and paid and social media," said Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican who sits on both the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary panels, both of which received the Facebook ads. "So, we're just looking at the tip of the iceberg."

I wonder how some of my "friends" who voted for Trump feel about having been played for fools by Vladimir Putin's operatives.