Democratic Primaries
Showing Original Post only (View all)Sanders implies Russia, not his supporters, to blame for online vitriol. Experts aren't so sure. [View all]
LAS VEGAS Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) mounted a new defense Wednesday for the toxicity emanating from pockets of his presidential campaigns supporters, implying it was possible Russian actors were again manipulating social media to incite Democratic divisions.
Sanderss language was indirect, offered on the debate stage here as his opponents faulted him for the behavior of his most strident fans. It drew criticism from experts in disinformation, who said they had no direct evidence the Kremlin had masqueraded as Sanders voters to interfere in the 2020 race much as Russian trolls had done four years earlier.
All of us remember 2016, and what we remember is efforts by Russians and others to try to interfere in our elections and divide us up, said the senator from Vermont. Im not saying thats happening, but it would not shock me.
Even the insinuation that foreign actors may be to blame for controversial online behavior by Sanderss most dedicated followers was an extraordinary indication of the extent to which election interference looms over the 2020 contest. It illustrated how few standards exist for assessing claims of meddling by Russia or other malicious actors, which are being vetted by the very same tech giants whose platforms became host to disinformation that went undetected four years ago.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/02/20/sanders-implies-russia-not-his-supporters-may-be-blame-online-vitriol-experts-arent-so-sure/
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden