Uncovering the Truth Behind #ReleaseTheMemo: The RussiaGate Lies (Summarization of Matt Taibbi’s Twitter File Release #14)
Hey there, friends!
I’ve got some pretty wild information to share with you all today. As you may or may not know, back in 2018 there was a lot of buzz surrounding the hashtag #ReleaseTheMemo. Essentially, Republicans were pushing for the release of a classified memo detailing abuses by the FBI in obtaining FISA surveillance authority against Trump-connected figures, including the infamous “Steele Dossier.”
However, Democrats were quick to denounce the report, saying that it was being boosted by Russian “bots” and “trolls.” They even went as far as to claim that the hashtag was gaining the immediate attention and assistance of social media accounts linked to Russian influence operations.
But here’s the thing: Twitter officials were aghast at these claims, finding no evidence of any significant activity connected to Russia. In fact, they even warned politicians and media that they lacked evidence, and even had evidence that the accounts weren’t Russian — yet these warnings were roundly ignored.
It wasn’t until a report by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz in December 2019 that the Nunes assertions were virtually all verified. But by then, the damage had already been done. National media had already denounced the Nunes report, calling it a “joke” and claiming that Russian bots were behind it all.
But the truth is, there was no Russian influence. The hashtag was driven by organic engagement and very important tweeters, including Wikileaks and Congressman Steve King. The claims of Russian influence were based on the Hamilton 68 dashboard, created by former FBI counterintelligence official Clint Watts, under the auspices of the Alliance for Securing Democracy.
The problem with Hamilton 68 is that it was vague in how it reached its conclusions, and was being used as the sole source for these stories. Twitter officials even went as far as to say that it was a “comms play” for the Alliance for Securing Democracy, and that they couldn’t find any Russian connection to #ReleaseTheMemo at all.
It’s disheartening to think that politicians and media were so quick to jump on the Russia bandwagon, without bothering to fact-check or even listen to the experts at Twitter. But I suppose the real lesson here is to always question the information being presented to us, and to do our own research before blindly believing and spreading false information.