GOP lawmaker: FBI has evidence Russian bots were fanning flames before Charlottesville violence
Source: CNN
Republican Rep. Tom Garrett, who represents Charlottesville, Virginia, said Monday that FBI officials told him and other members of Congress that Russian actors were attempting to sow discord around the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville last year before the event took place.
Garrett revealed the information publicly for the first time in an interview on CNN over the weekend and clarified separately that the activity took place before the rally.
"It was before. Via bots, the internet, and social media," Garrett said. "I'm frustrated because either both Republicans and Democrats do not understand what the Russians are actually doing, or they don't want to tell the truth about it, or both."
Garrett's recollection of the meeting with FBI officials was confirmed by fellow Rep. Morgan Griffith, a Virginia Republican who was sitting next to him during the briefing. Griffith recalls "jumping out of his chair" when he heard the news. Garrett asked if the information was classified, and FBI officials told him it was not.
Both congressmen say the FBI was clear that the interference was contained to social media posts and the internet and that they were told that there was no evidence that there was any Russian influence on the ground.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/13/politics/tom-garrett-russian-bots-charlottesville-violence/index.html
BumRushDaShow
(129,059 posts)Dumbass - it's the GOP... YOUR party that refuses to believe the intelligence agencies. This bullshit "both sides" needs to stop. You have Nunes who chairs a committee that refuses to do shit while he foments more of the invasion of Russian bots. You have Gowdy primping and preening before the cameras to see how much he can go chasing fantasy emails.
The GOP RUNS THE COMMITTEES. But hopefully not for long.
Mc Mike
(9,114 posts)Achilleaze
(15,543 posts)and the republican party laughed and smirked their asses off as their russian moneybuck bagmen puppetmasters struck another blow to weaken America.
erronis
(15,286 posts)came out via press briefings as far as I know.
So the repuglicons were just going to sit on the info? Wonder why?
samir.g
(835 posts)Republican do not, or pretend not to.
Initech
(100,079 posts)They don't care about running the country anymore. They only care about "owning the libs". And that sucks.
gordianot
(15,238 posts)They want someone to do their dirty work. If it were not Russians it would be someone else. As luck would have it Russians one of our oldest mortal enemies are always willing be they Romonov, Communist, or the current Federation.
BigmanPigman
(51,607 posts)Why is this guy "acting" like this is new and hasn't been a gigantic disaster for the country for almost two years when the FBI knew what Russia was doing? Does he live in a cave?
orangecrush
(19,570 posts)for visibility.