Irony alert: Firm that warned Americans of Russian bots…was running an army of fake Russian bots
By Danielle Ryan
The co-founders of cybersecurity firm New Knowledge warned Americans in November to “remain vigilant” in the face of “Russian efforts” to meddle in US elections. This month, they have been exposed for doing just that themselves.
Ryan Fox and Jonathan Morgan, who run the New Knowledge cybersecurity company which claims to “monitor disinformation” online, penned a foreboding op-ed in the New York Times on November 6, about “the Russians” and their nefarious efforts to influence American elections.
At the time, it struck me that Fox and Morgan’s reasoning seemed a little far-fetched. For example, one of the pieces of evidence presented to prove that Russia had targeted American elections was that lots of people had posted links to RT’s content online. Hardly a smoking gun worthy of a Times oped.
ALSO ON RT.COMThe only ‘Russian bots’ to meddle in US elections belonged to Democrat-linked ‘experts’Morgan and Fox, intrepid cyber sleuths that they are, claimed in the article they had detected more “overall activity” from ongoing Russian influence campaigns than social media companies like Facebook and Twitter had yet revealed — or that other researchers had been able to identify.
The New Knowledge guys even authored a Senate Intelligence Committee report on Russia’s alleged efforts to mess with American democracy. They called it a “propaganda war against American citizens.” Impressive stuff. They must be really good at their job, right?
This week, however, we learned that New Knowledge was running its own disinformation campaign (or “propaganda war against Americans,”you could say), complete with fake Russian bots designed to discredit Republican candidate Roy Moore as a Russia-preferred candidate when he was running for the US senate in Alabama in 2017.
The scheme was exposed by the New York Times — the paper that just over a month earlier published that aforementioned oped, in which Fox and Morgan pontificated about Russian interference online.
New Knowledge created a mini-army of fake Russian bots and fake Facebook groups. The accounts, which had Russian names, were made to follow Moore. An internal company memo boasted that New Knowledge had “orchestrated an elaborate ‘false flag’ operation that planted the idea that the Moore campaign was amplified on social media by a Russian botnet.”
Moore lost the race by 1.5 percent. To be fair, accusations published by the Washington Post that he pursued underage girls back in the 1980s may have had something to do with it as well, but that’s a different story.
Of course, New Knowledge and even the New York Times, which blew the lid of the operation, are trying to spin this as some kind of “small experiment” during which they “imitated Russian tactics” online to see how they worked. Just for research, of course. They have also both claimed that the scheme, dubbed ‘Project Birmingham’ had almost no effect on the outcome of the race.
The money for the so-called research project came from Reid Hoffman, the billionaire co-founder of LinkedIn, who contributed $750,000 to American Engagement Technologies (AET), which then spent $100,000 on the New Knowledge experiment. After the scheme was exposed, Hoffman offered a public apology, saying he didn’t know exactly how the money had been used and admitting that the tactics were “highly disturbing.”
ALSO ON RT.COMLinkedIn billionaire ‘sorry’ for funding ‘Russian bot’ disinformation campaign against Roy MooreIf people like Fox and Morgan actually cared about so-called Russian meddling or the integrity of American elections, they would not have run the deceptive campaign against Moore, no matter how undesirable he was as a candidate. Their sneaky and deceitful methods are in total contrast to the public profile they have cultivated for themselves as a firm fighting the good fight for the public good. But is it really that much of a surprise?
You would think that a newspaper like the New York Times would have cottoned on to the fact that guys like Fox and Morgan, with their histories in the US military and intelligence agencies, have clear agendas and are not exactly squeaky clean or the most credible sources of information when it comes to anything to do with Russia. But that kind of insight or circumspection might be too much to ask for in the age of Russiagate.
Facebook removed Morgan’s account on Saturday for “engaging in coordinated inauthentic behavior” around the Alabama election. Three days after publishing its initial article on the scandal (the one in which it played down the effects of New Knowledge’s disinfo campaign), the New York Times published a follow-up piece about the Facebook removal, in which it admitted that the controversy would be a “stinging embarrassment” for the social media researcher, noting that he had been a “leading voice” against supposed Russian disinformation campaigns.
In Fox and Morgan’s original NYT oped, they warned of the ubiquitous “Russia-linked social media accounts” and estimated that “at least hundreds of thousands, and perhaps even millions” of US citizens had engaged with them online. One must now wonder, were they including their own fake Russian bots in that count, or were they leaving those ones out?
It’s nearly two years into the Trump presidency and still we have no solid evidence that the Russian “collusion” theory is anything more than a fantasy concocted by Democrats desperate to provide a more palatable reason for Hillary Clinton’s loss than the fact that she simply ran a bad campaign.
In fact, at this point, we actually have more solid and irrefutable evidence of election meddling from the likes of dodgy American and British companies like Cambridge Analytica and New Knowledge than we do of any meddling orchestrated by Russia.
Like this story? Share it with a friend!
Democrats’ plan to end shutdown? Force Trump to give up on border wall, apparently
Once Democrats take over the House on January 3, they are planning to pass a government funding bill without any money for the border wall. President Donald Trump shows no sign of caving as shutdown continues, however.
As the impasse between Trump and the Democrats shut down parts of the federal government and forced some 800,000 workers to stay home or work without pay, the incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California) vowed the president would never get his wall.
Once Pelosi returns from her vacation in Hawaii and gets sworn in, she intends to have the House approve a bill that would fund the Department of Homeland Security until February and not include a penny for the border wall, the New York Times reported citing congressional staff.
Even if the Republican-majority Senate agrees to this – which the leadership has shown no sign of wanting to do – the question will come up again in just a few weeks. Democrats mean to use this to push for broader immigration reform and demonstrate they are the responsible party, according to the Times.
“We’ve got to really learn how to play jujitsu with the president and figure out how to take the wall issue and show the American people that we are the modern party who will actually secure the border and also be for a compassionate immigration system that recognizes the benefits of immigration and diversity,” Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), said in an interview Monday.
Unwilling or unable to pick one objection to Trump’s border wall proposal, they have panned it as “immoral, ineffective and expensive” as well as “fifth-century technology.”
Trump, who campaigned on building a “big, beautiful wall” on the border with Mexico, showed no sign of backing down, however. While Democrats went on vacation, he stayed at the White House and tweeted up a storm, only taking a break for a surprise trip to Iraq and Germany to visit US troops overseas.
In one of the tweets on Monday, Trump reminded Democrats they have voted in favor of a border barrier twice before.
“You voted yes in 2006 and 2013. One more yes, but with me in office,” he wrote. “I’ll get it built, and Fast!”
He also mocked the Democrats’ claim that walls are old technology, quipping “but so is the wheel.”
Trump and the Democrats have clashed over border funding before, resulting in a brief government shutdown in January 2018. At the time, Trump proposed a sweeping amnesty for children brought into the US illegally and their relatives in return for wall funding and immigration reforms. Democrats rejected it, however, and eventually prevailed in getting an omnibus spending bill that ignored immigration altogether, setting the stage for the December 2018 showdown.
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
Fireworks Launched at Swedish Police, Elderly Woman In Slew of Attacks
Police officers, an elderly woman and a family home were the targets of attacks involving fireworks or similar explosives across Sweden, according to local media.
A gang of youths launched firecrackers at a woman in her 70s as she exited a grocery store in Skövde, police say.
The woman suffered some injuries, including damage to her hearing, GT reports.
Police say dozens of youths had been firing off ‘rockets’ in the neighborhood the night before, and responding officers were ambushed when they attempted to investigate.
“When police patrol came to the site, they directed the rockets at their colleagues,” said a police spokesman.
In Trollhättan, police are investigating suspected arson after a villa was set ablaze overnight while a family slept inside.
Police believe the fire was the result of fireworks being shot at the home.
“Someone has heard some form of a whistling sound and then the bang, which woke the family up,” a police spokesman told GT. “It could have ended really badly.”
In yet another incident, ‘rockets’ were launched at police responding to a multiple car fire in Uppsala.
“In connection with the police investigating a car fire in Stenhagen in Uppsala, a rocket was shot at one of the police,” SVT reports. “The rocket missed, but was suspected of being fired from a passing car.”
Gunnar Appelgren, a security specialist and head of Stockholm police force’s gang conflict division, recently expressed his concern over growing violence in Sweden, saying the country was effectively entering “some form of a state of war.”
Democrats are The Party of Death – But Weak Republicans Never Force Them to Own It….
No issue encapsulates the weakness of republicans and their simultaneous adherence to the UniParty position on illegal immigration more than the aftermath of illegal aliens killing U.S. citizens. No-one ever forces democrats to own the consequences to their position; it is very frustrating.
No other issue is as easy to frame, and supported by the majority of American voters, as the issue of illegal alien impacts on local communities. Yet, we never see republican politicians making democrats own and defend these toxic negative outcomes. The reason is likely because both wings of the UniParty benefit from massive lobbying to keep the problem in place.
CTH has tracked this issue so closely through the years it often feels futile for another reminder. However, with the insufferable political games surfacing, yet again, over the issue of illegal aliens – perhaps it is worth another visit.
Understanding The Big Racket.
Massive illegal immigration is supported by both sides of the professional political machine. There are few issues more unifying for the K-Street purchased voices of DC politicians than keeping the borders open and the influx of illegal aliens as high as possible. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce pays politicians to keep this system in place.
All Democrats and most Republicans support mass immigration. Almost no DC politicians want to take action on any policy or legislation that stops the influx. There are billions at stake. None of the GOP leadership want to actually stop illegal immigration; it’s a lucrative business. Almost all of the CONservative groups and politicians lie about it.
The religious right is also part of the problem. In the past 15 years illegal immigration and refugee settlement has been financially beneficial for them. The prior actions of Ted Cruz, Glenn Beck et al show they are as committed to facilitating illegal immigration as Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, Jeff Flake, Ben Sasse, Kevin McCarthy, Lisa Murkowski and the rest of the Decepticons.
Washington DC and the activist media, are infested with illegal immigration supporters; the issue is at the heart of the UniParty. Follow the money. It’s the Acorn model:
There is no greater disconnect from ordinary Americans on any singular issue than the policy positions of Democrats and Republicans in Washington DC surrounding immigration. President Donald Trump is confronting their unified interests.
All political opposition to the Trump administration on this issue is structured, planned and coordinated. The issue is a valuable tool for the professional political class to sow chaos amid politicians.
The resulting crisis is useful for them; therefore they fuel the crisis.
Through June 2018, Southwest Key was given $310,000,000, in taxpayer funds. That’s just one company, in one part of a year. Prior CTH research showed this specific “Private Company” nets 98.76% of earnings from government grants (link).
Today … [Houston Mayor Sylvester] Turner said he met with officials from Austin-based Southwest Key Programs, the contractor that operates some of the child shelters, to ask them to reconsider their plans. A spokeswoman for Southwest Key didn’t immediately reply to an email seeking comment.
“And so there comes a point in time we draw a line and for me, the line is with these children,” said Turner during a news conference Tuesday. (link)
“The thought that they are going to be putting such little kids in an institutional setting? I mean it is hard for me to even wrap my mind around it,” said Kay Bellor, vice president for programs at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, which provides foster care and other child welfare services to migrant children. “Toddlers are being detained.” (link)
Do you know why kids are targeted for smuggling?
They are worth more money; that’s why.
(Lutheran Immigration – Grant Link)
“Faith Based Immigration Services” is a code-speak for legalized human smuggling.
Human smuggling is big business. If you dig in to the IRS 990 forms you’ll see a lot of, well, “generous” wage/benefit perks. Golf, florists, cafe’s, mysterious leases, land purchases, third party mortgages, $$$ Spouses on the payroll, etc.
So when you’ve got each individual immigration business making multi-hundreds of millions; and politicians getting kick-backs (lobbyists); and bribes to Mexican government officials; and payments to smugglers; who do you think actually wants the business to stop?
(Data For Catholic Bishops – Half of FY 2018)
The “faith-based” crew (Ted Cruz, Glenn Beck, etc.) don’t want it to stop, because facilitating illegal alien import is now the financial bread and butter amid groups in their base of support. The man/woman in the pew might not know; but the corporation minister, preacher or priest (inside the process) surely does.
The Wall Street, big GOPe, U.S. Chamber of Commerce crew doesn’t want it to stop because they benefit from it (cheap labor), and the taxpayers -not them- are the ones funding it.
(Baptist Child and Family Services – BCFS – Half of FY 2018)
Sad thing is, it’s you and me that are paying the South American human smugglers through U.S. taxpayer funds. Laundered through the immigration business bagmen at U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and/or, U.S. Catholic Charities, or Southwest Key Programs Inc; or Baptist Child and Family Services Emergency Management Division (BCFS-EMD), just to name a few.
These immigration groups, get *MASSIVE* HHS grants and then pay-off the DC politicians and human smugglers, including MS13. Billions of dollars are spent, and the business has exploded in the past six years.
It’s a vicious cycle. Trafficked children are more valuable than adults because the organizations involved get more funding for a child than an adult. Each illegal alien child is worth about $56,000 in grant money. The system is full of fraud.
From our prior research approximately 65% of the money they get is spent on executive pay and benefits, opaque administrative payrolls, bribes, kick-backs to DC politicians and payoffs to the South American smugglers who bring them more immigrants.
As best it can be determined, approximately 35% ($19,000) is spent on the alien/immigrant child; maybe. It gets sketchy deep in their accounting.
All of those advocates gnashing their teeth and crying on television have no idea just who is controlling this process; and immigration idiots like Ted Cruz are only adding more fuel, more money, to the bottom line:
President Trump is not only threatening to secure the border, he’s threatening a Washington DC-based business model that makes money for a lot of interests. The operation also has side benefits for the participants; child sexploitation, child labor, and yes, much worse (you can imagine).
Sick Bastards Are Going after the Kids! Michael Moore Wants “As Many” Trump Family Members “In Orange Jumpsuits as Possible” in 2019
December 31, 2018
President Trump with granddaughter Chloe Trump
The liberal attacks on President Trump, his young children and grandchildren are increasing.
The American lefts want rape and jail for the Trump children.
Actor Peter Fonda threatened Barron Trump in June.
(Of course, Peter still has his Twitter account!)
Hollywood writer Pat Dussault one-upped Fonda and threatened President Trump’s little granddaughter Chloe!
This is the modern day left.
They want to destroy the Republican President, his family, his grandchildren, his wealth, his business, his reputation and everything he holds dear.
Liberalism is a mental disorder.
Now this…
Michael Moore wants the ENTIRE FAMILY behind bars… NOT for any criminal actions — just because of who they are!
The Washington Examiner reported:
Liberal documentary filmmaker Michael Moore has high hopes for the new year.
When asked during an Friday interview on MSNBC what he was “most looking forward to in 2019,” Moore said it was for “as many members of the Trump family in orange jumpsuits as possible.”
“It’s really the wrong way to end such a festive time of the year, with such animosity toward those who would do wrong to this country, but yes,” the fervent Trump critic said…
…But Moore on Friday suggested Jared Kushner, a White House senior adviser and Ivanka Trump’s husband, was also legally exposed for allegedly trying to establish back channels with foreign governments during the transition period between the Obama and Trump administrations.
VIDEO: YELLOW VEST PROTESTERS TEAR DOWN EU FLAG IN FRANCE
The revolt against globalism accelerates
DECEMBER 31, 2018
The revolt against globalism accelerates.
The account that originally posted the video referred to the flag as “the flag of shame”.
SECURITY PHOTOS: Here Are Some Wall Opponents Who Have Walls Around Their Houses
By
Members of the political and celebrity class are enjoying the lavish walls around their private properties while they fight against President Donald Trump’s plan to build a border wall for the United States to keep out criminal gangs and terrorists. Perhaps these modern-day aristocrats can give John Kerry some tips as he wages a spirited battle to keep migrants off his private beach in France.
Let’s take a look at some of these walls:
Obamas
President Trump approves of the Obama family’s wall in the nation’s capital, which they utilize while Obama engages in shadow diplomacy and other Operation Crossfire Hurricane-related skullduggery to try to damage his successor. It would be nice, however, if Democrats would also give the American people a wall for their protection.
Trending: CONFIRMED: The Government CAN Build The Wall With Brian Kolfage’s GoFundMe Money
Here is a 2017 TMZ photo showing the construction of the Obama Wall:
Paul Ryan
Outgoing House speaker Paul Ryan did not have to worry about his security while he was helping Democrats take the House in the 2018 midterm elections, because his house is appropriately walled off from the mouth-breathers with their populist politics that he so despises. The House eventually did pass Wall funding in Ryan’s last days in office, which no doubt made him grit his teeth after he spent his speakership fighting Trump’s agenda.
The White House’s Julia Hahn caught Ryan in hypocrisy in 2015 when she photographed the seemingly-impenetrable barrier outside of Paul Ryan’s mansion.
Katy Perry
Popular music singer Katy Perry is an advocate for “no barriers,” but she did not seem to mind when one of her immigrant fans got deported for rushing the stage at her concert.
Here are two photographs of the beautiful wall that protects Katy Perry’s property. What magnificent construction on that wall!
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton has a very tastefully-constructed wall around her Chappaqua, New York compound, where she engaged in the email crimes that sank her 2016 bid for the presidency. Hillary’s wall is festooned with cameras and other security measures to protect the former First Lady from anyone who might wish to do her harm.
It’s nice that Hillary is enjoying the benefits of her wall, which less-fortunate Americans do not get to enjoy. Many Americans, especially in our border states, are basically sitting ducks for the criminal cartels who easily traverse our Southern border to pump heroin into the country and spread a cloud of criminality and violence that would not exist in this country if President Trump gets the chance to build his border Wall.
Look at that Clinton wall! Breathtaking!
Tom's Blog 