Russia ‘hired 1,000 internet trolls to create fake news sites spreading lies about Hillary Clinton during US election’
US Senator Mark Werner claimed Vladimir Putin was behind an effort to 'hijack the most critical democratic process'
RUSSIA hired 1,000 trolls to create fake news sites spreading lies about Hillary Clinton during the US presidential election, it has been claimed.
Mark Werner, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, made the shocking allegation when speaking to reporters about the committee’s probe into Russian attempts to influence the election result.
Speaking alongside committee chairman Richard Burr, Warner told journalists in Washington of a concerted effort by Vladimir Putin to effect the outcome of the vote.
He said: “There were upwards of 1,000 paid internet trolls working out of a facility in Russia – in effect, taking over series of computers, which is then called a botnet.”
Warner said the committee aimed to find out whether voters in key swing states might have been served up Russian-generated fake news along with information from their traditional news outlets.
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He continued: “An outside foreign adversary effectively sought to hijack the most critical democratic process – the election of a President – and in that process, decided to favour one candidate over another.”
The three states mentioned by Warner – Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania – were all won narrowly by Donald Trump.
Warner said: “We are in a whole new realm around cyber that provides opportunity for huge, huge threats to our basic democracy. You are seeing it right now."
Burr claimed Putin was trying to influence elections in Europe as well – including in France, where the first round of the presidential vote is to be held next month.
He said: “I think it's safe by everybody's judgment that the Russians are actively involved in the French elections.”
Burr said the Senate committee had so far requested 20 individuals to be interviewed as part of the probe – including Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
The White House said Kushner has volunteered to answer questions about arranging meetings with the Russian ambassador and other officials.
Asked whether the committee had spoken to former national security adviser Michael Flynn or his representatives, Burr told reporters: "It's safe to say that we have had conversations with a lot of people, and you would think less of us if General Flynn wasn't in that list."
An attorney for Flynn said his client had not yet been interviewed by the Senate committee.
Flynn’s lawyer said today he would testify in front of Congress about the Trump administration’s Russia links in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
The retired army general was forced to step down from his role as a national security adviser just weeks into the job after a storm over conversations he had with the Russian ambassador about US sanctions on Moscow.
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