From Newsweek How An Alt-Right Bot Network Took Down Al Franken

[dflprincess]

http://www.newsweek.com/alt-right-trump-franken-mueller-twitter-810355

White nationalist provocateurs, a pair of fake news sites, an army of Twitter bots and other cyber tricks helped derail Democratic Senator Al Franken last year, new research shows.

While everyone has been focused on Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election to support Donald Trump, the Franken takedown originated in—and was propelled by—a strategic online campaign with digital tentacles reaching to, of all places, Japan. Analysts have now mapped out how Hooters pinup girl and lad-mag model Leeann Tweeden's initial accusation against Franken became effective propaganda after right-wing black ops master Roger Stone first hinted at the allegation.

I said all along Democratic senators who called for him to resign were walking into a right wing trap.

[rzemanfl]

1. Some of the trappers were here on DU. K&R. n/t

[MustLoveBeagles]

2. I knew it was a set up

I hate being right about this.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. It was such an obvious set-up; Hannity and Roger Stone were involved

and everybody knew Tweeden was dealing with them. Even if Russian trolls and bots hadn't catapulted the propaganda, Gillibrand was out of line, but now we know for sure that she got played.

[Wellstone ruled]

4. Smelled from the get go.

Especially for we who knew Al and Franny personally. Had my doubts from the start.

[elehhhhna]

5. KG was in a hot frikkin hurry. KG unwitting tool of kgb...

[Skittles]

6. there is NOTHING unwitting about KG

[geardaddy]

8. Who is KG?

[elehhhhna]

9. Kristin gillibrand

[geardaddy]

10. Ahh, thanks.

[question everything]

7. I hope that this puts to rest any high office ambition

of Gillibrand, Harris and warren.

[Lulu KC]

11. Sorry to report

that Newsweek has retracted the story. It was based on Mike Farb of Unhack the Vote and the data was challenged by a statistician.

It made perfect sense to me!

[dflprincess]

12. Thanks for the update

I posted it because it came from a reputable news source, I had not heard that Newsweek retracted the story.

That said, it may not have been bots behind it, but Al was the victim of a right wing hit job.