The Twitter Files Part XIV Unrolled

The Russiagate lies.

Jan 12, 2023

Note that Taibbi skips number 8, but the Tweets below are in the order they were presented. You can find all the Twitter Files unrolled here.

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

1.THREAD: Twitter Files #14 THE RUSSIAGATE LIES One: The Fake Tale of Russian Bots and the #ReleaseTheMemo Hashtag

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

6.35K Reposts · 12.5K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

2.At a crucial moment in a years-long furor, Democrats denounced a report about flaws in the Trump-Russia investigation, saying it was boosted by Russian “bots” and “trolls.”

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5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

620 Reposts · 3.05K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

3.Twitter officials were aghast, finding no evidence of Russian influence: “We are feeding congressional trolls.” “Not any…significant activity connected to Russia.” “Putting the cart before the horse assuming this is propaganda/bots.”

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

953 Reposts · 3.43K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

4.Twitter warned politicians and media the not only lacked evidence, but had evidence the accounts weren’t Russian – and were roundly ignored.

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

755 Reposts · 3.29K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

5.On January 18th, 2018, Republican Devin Nunes submitted a classified memo to the House Intel Committee detailing abuses by the FBI in obtaining FISA surveillance authority against Trump-connected figures, including the crucial role played by the infamous “Steele Dossier”:

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

781 Reposts · 3.09K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

6.The Nunes assertions would virtually all be verified in a report by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz in December 2019.

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

752 Reposts · 3.03K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

7.Nonetheless, national media in January and early February of 2018 denounced the Nunes report in oddly identical language, calling it a “joke”:

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

779 Reposts · 3.02K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

9.On January 23rd, 2018, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) published an open letter saying the hashtag “gained the immediate attention and assistance of social media accounts linked to Russian influence operations.”

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

629 Reposts · 2.68K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

9b. Feinstein/Schiff said the Nunes memo "distorts" classified information, but note they didn't call it incorrect.

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

578 Reposts · 2.64K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

10.Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal followed suit, publishing a letter saying, “We find it reprehensible that Russian agents have so eagerly manipulated innocent Americans.”

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

543 Reposts · 2.52K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

11.Feinstein, Schiff, Blumenthal, and media members all pointed to the same source: the Hamilton 68 dashboard created by former FBI counterintelligence official Clint Watts, under the auspices of the Alliance for Securing Democracy (ASD).

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

651 Reposts · 2.55K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

12.The dashboard, which featured a crude picture of Vladimir Putin deviously blowing evil red Twitter birds into the atmosphere, was vague in how it reached its conclusions.

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

462 Reposts · 2.32K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

13.Inside Twitter, executives panned Watts, Hamilton 68, and the Alliance for Securing Democracy. Two key complaints: Hamilton 68 seemed to be everyone’s only source, and no one was checking with Twitter.

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

486 Reposts · 2.37K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

14.“I encourage you to be skeptical of Hamilton 68’s take on this, which as far as I can tell is the only source for these stories,” said Global Policy Communications Chief (and future WH and NSC spokesperson) Emily Horne. She added: “It’s a comms play for ASD.”

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

480 Reposts · 2.31K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

15.“All the swirl is based on Hamilton,” said Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth.

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

465 Reposts · 2.25K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

16.“If ASD isn’t going to fact-check with us, we should feel free to correct the record on their work,” said Policy VP Carlos Monje.

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

362 Reposts · 1.86K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

17.Roth couldn’t find any Russian connection to #ReleaseTheMemo – at all. “I just reviewed the accounts that posted the first 50 tweets with #releasethememo and… none of them show any signs of affiliation to Russia.”

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

523 Reposts · 2.09K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

18.“We investigated, found that engagement as overwhelmingly organic, and driven by VITs” – Very Important Tweeters, including Wikileaks and congressman Steve King.

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

427 Reposts · 2K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

19.A staffer for “DiFi” – Feinstein – agreed it would be “helpful to know” how Hamilton 68 goes by “the process by which they decide an account is Russian.” But, only AFTER Feinstein published her letter about Russian influence.

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

423 Reposts · 1.94K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

20.When Twitter spoke to a Blumenthal staffer, they tried to “wave him off” because “we don’t believe these are bots.”

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

403 Reposts · 1.9K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

21.Added another: “It might be worth nudging Blumenthal’s staffer that it could be in his boss’ best interest not to go out there because it could come back to make him look silly.”

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

405 Reposts · 1.91K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

22.One Twitter exec even tried to negotiate, implying an undisclosed future PR concession if Blumenthal would lay off on this: “It seems like there are other wins we could offer him.”

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

407 Reposts · 1.86K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

23.Blumenthal published his letter anyway.

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

363 Reposts · 1.84K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

24.Execs eventually grew frustrated over what they saw as a circular process – presented with claims of Russian activity, even when denied, led to more claims.

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

393 Reposts · 1.91K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

25.They expressed this explicitly to Blumenthal’s camp, saying “Twitter spent a lot of resources” on this request and the reward from Blumenthal shouldn’t be round after round of requests.” “We can’t do a user notice each time this happens.”

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

378 Reposts · 1.86K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

26.Eventually Twitter staff realize “Blumenthal isn’t looking for real and nuanced solutions” but “just wants to get credit for pushing us further.”

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

455 Reposts · 1.95K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

27.Ultimately senior executives talked about “feeding congressional trolls” and compared their situation to the children’s book, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.”

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

421 Reposts · 1.92K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

28.In the story, if you give a mouse a cookie, he’ll want a glass of milk, which will lead to a wave of other exhausting requests, at the end of which he’ll want a glass of milk. And one more cookie.

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

375 Reposts · 1.94K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

29.The metaphor for the endless Russia requests was so perfect, one exec wrote, “I’m legit embarrassed I didn’t think of that first.”

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

395 Reposts · 1.93K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

30.Despite universal internal conviction that there were no Russians in the story, Twitter went on to follow a slavish pattern of not challenging Russia claims on the record.

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

482 Reposts · 2K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

31.Outside counsel from DC-connected firms like Debevoise and Plimpton advised Twitter to use language like, “With respect to particular hashtags, we take seriously any activity that may represent an abuse of our platform.”

5:29 PM · Jan 12, 2023

398 Reposts · 1.88K Likes

Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi

32.As a result, reporters from the AP to Politico to NBC to Rolling Stone continued to hammer the “Russian bots” theme, despite a total lack of evidence.