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Senate To Release Report On Scope Of Russian Disinformation Campaign

The Washington Post, which obtained a draft of the report, says lawmakers plan to release it sometime this week.
Posted at 6:57 AM, Dec 17, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-17 06:57:44-05

The Senate is reportedly planning to release a report this week that could paint an even clearer picture of the scope of Russia's disinformation campaign during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. 

The Washington Post managed to obtain a draft of the report. It reportedly says Russian agents working at the Internet Research Agency, or IRA, divided Americans into various interest groups and then targeted them with specific messaging on social media.

For example, Russian agents reportedly sent messaging to then-candidate Donald Trump's opposition groups that "sought to confuse, distract and ultimately discourage members from voting."

Special counsel Robert Mueller's already indicted the IRA for meddling in the 2016 election.

The report was put together by Oxford University researchers and a network analysis firm. They analyzed data provided to the Senate Intelligence Committee by social media and tech companies — though they reportedly alleged that data was incomplete.

It's unclear if the panel endorses the findings of the report. As of early Monday, representatives for Sens. Richard Burr and Mark Warner — the committee's chairman and ranking Democrat respectively — have declined to comment to multiple outlets. 

Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN