Russian Twitterbots are blaming the US shutdown on Democrats

The PR conflict over the US authorities shutdown has been a story of rival hashtags. Democrats are desperately branding it the “Trump shutdown,” whereas Republicans are pushing the phrase “Schumer shutdown,” after Democrat Senate chief Chuck Schumer.

The GOP is getting a lift with that message from a now-familiar ally: Russian bots. Within the final 48 hours, Russia-linked Twitter accounts tweeted #schumershutdown greater than another hashtag, in accordance with Hamilton 68, a undertaking run by the German Marshall Fund suppose tank that tracks tweets “tied to Russia-linked affect networks.”

They’re additionally backing one other right-wing agenda underneath the #releasethememo hashtag, a Twitter marketing campaign making an attempt to strain Republican lawmakers to publish a memo written by GOP aides that claims to point out biases within the Trump-Russia investigation. Earlier this month, Russian bots ran with the hashtag #neverromney, as quickly as hypothesis arose that former Republican presidential candidate and sharp Trump critic Mitt Romney would run to turn out to be Utah’s subsequent senator.

Over the weekend, senator John Cornyn, the quantity two Republican within the Senate, revealed that Twitter had advised him he had preferred, adopted or retweeted Russian bots through the 2016 presidential election.

Lastly social media is waking as much as manipulation of public opinion by our adversaries. All of us have to step as much as meet this problem, particularly the Press. pic.twitter.com/BuRRvUVcRP

— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) January 20, 2018