Russian trolls orchestrated 2016 clash at Houston Islamic center, new Senate intel report recalls
WASHINGTON — A Senate intelligence committee report issued Tuesday recounts efforts by Russian trolls to orchestrate a clash in Houston between local Muslims and anti-Muslim demonstrators in May 2016 — one of many instances of Russia trying to stoke unrest in the United States.
The incident and its links to Russia's ongoing disinformation efforts are well-known. But the new Senate report uses it to highlight the continuing threat of disruption via Facebook and other social media, and the sophistication of the Kremlin-backed Internet Research Agency, a secretive organization in St. Petersburg.
"Russia is waging an information warfare campaign against the U.S. that didn't start and didn't end with the 2016 election," said Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, the Republican who chairs the committee. "By flooding social media with false reports, conspiracy theories and trolls, and by exploiting existing divisions, Russia is trying to breed distrust of our democratic institutions and our fellow Americans. "
At least two other Russian incidents of mischief played out in Texas.
A November 2015 Confederate rally in Houston was the "earliest evidence" of Russian efforts to meddle in the 2016 presidential election, according to the report released in April by special counsel Robert Mueller.
Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2019/10/08/russian-trolls-orchestrated-2016-clash-houston-islamic-center-senate-intel-report-says/
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