According to NBC News, Indictments filed by special counsel Robert Mueller reveal Russians organized anti-Trump rallies. The 13 Russians and three Russian entities held rallies to support president-elect Trump while simultaneously holding anti-Trump rallies to protest his campaign.
NBC also reports, Russians paid people attending pro-Trump rallies to fulfill "tasks," including building a make-shift jail cell with someone dressed as Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton inside.
Russians paid Trump supporters to simulate Clinton being jailed
According to Mueller's indictment.
The Russians asked a U.S. citizen to build a cage with bars on a flatbed truck and another person to dress in a costume portraying Hillary Clinton dressed in a prison uniform. The Russian nationals and their associates fueled "lock her up" chants throughout 2016 and Trump supporters were also seen staging caged mannequins representing Hillary Clinton.
As well as Clinton, Russians set out to spread derogatory information on Cruz, Rubio, Trump.
According to NBC, Mueller's indictment revealed the defendants attempted to vilify numerous 2016 presidential candidates, including Trump.
The Russians mission was to spread derogatory information about candidate Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, and boost support for Bernie Sanders and Donald J.
Trump.
Even though numerous efforts were aimed at boosting Trump’s campaign, Russians also participated in organizing two anti-Trump rallies, one in New York named “Trump is NOT my President” and the other in North Carolina named “Charlotte Against Trump." Computer servers in the U.S. were used to communicate with U.S. Citizens.
According to Rod Rosenstein, the Russians allegedly paid for some space on the United States computer servers using VPN to create hundreds of fake accounts on many social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram as well as Twitter, giving the appearance, the accounts are controlled by U.S. citizens.
Rosenstein said the Russians used those social media accounts to communicate while organizing political campaign rallies throughout the United States and to pay for adverts that were designed to discredit Hillary Clinton.
Russians and co-conspirators tried to destroy evidence
According to NBC News, the indictment states, the Russians tried to quickly destroy any evidence to hide their tracks.
Beginning of June 2016, Russians and their organization planned and executed rallies around the U.S., NBC reported, the accused hid they are based out of Russia by fooling everyone they were United States grass-roots political activists that couldn't meet anyone or participate in events in person.
A month later, around mid-July 2016, Russians created a Facebook secret group named "Being Patriotic," and a Twitter profile called March for Trump, to organize a few rallies held in Florida, Mueller's indictment says according to NBC.
The indictment says the rallies held on August 20, 2016, were called 'Florida Goes Trump' Meanwhile, different false profiles created by the Russians featured phony anti-Clinton adverts.
According to NBC, one advert on social media posted April 2016 told voters a massive number of the black community supported them in saying Hillary Clinton is not my president. Another said: "Hillary is Satan, the crimes and falsehoods have proven how evil Clinton is." So who are the 13 Russians and three Russian entities charged in Mueller's indictment?
The US Justice Department has indicted 13 Russian Nationals and three Russian companies for attempting to influence the result of the 2016 presidential election.
The three Russian entities indicted are Internet Research Agency LLC, Concord Management and Consulting LLC and Concord Catering.
The 13 Russian Nationals charged in Mueller's Indictment are: Vadim Vladimirovich Podkopaev; Dzheykhun Nasimi Ogly; Mikhail Ivanovich Bystrov; Robert Sergeyevich Bovda; Mikhail Leonidovich Burchik; Aleksandra Yuryevna Krylova; Anna Vladislavovna Bogacheva; Sergey Pavlovich Polozov; Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin; Gleb Igorevich Vasilchenko; Irina Viktorovna Kaverzina Maria Anatolyrvna Bovda; and Vladimir Venkov.
President Trump responded to Mueller's indictment of 13 Russians and entities' Friday over allegations. They tried to influence the 2016 presidential election, saying this proves he did not collude with foreign entities.
Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President. The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign did nothing wrong - no collusion!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 16, 2018
However, as reported by CBS News, Rod Rosenstein did not state there was no collusion from the Trump camp and the indictment only alleges no collusion on the part of Americans.
Rosenstein said the investigation is ongoing.
