How does that old saying go? Screw someone over once, shame on you. Screw someone over twice, shame on them? Because that’s the feeling this editor is getting while reading Michael Shellenberger’s thread about how a former FBI official responsible for the disinformation campaign about Russian bots is now making a similar claim about Ukraine.
Right?
Made the same face.
Take a gander:
A former FBI official who ran a disinformation campaign that generated hundreds of fake news articles falsely accusing dozens of Twitter users of being Russian bots is now claiming a Russian influence operation aims to weaken U.S. support for Ukrainehttps://t.co/l4UOvzHNpk
— Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) March 16, 2023
He’s not kidding.
From the New York Times:
The report also said that Russia appears to be stepping up influence operations outside Ukraine, in a push to weaken European and American support for continuing military aid, intelligence sharing and other assistance to the Ukrainian government. The effort would come as a faction in the Republican Party — and some in the Democratic Party — argues that supporting Ukraine is not a core interest for the United States.
Sound familiar?
The NY Times is credulously citing fmr. FBI official Clint Watts even though journalist @mtaibbi exposed his scam to smear dozens of Twitter users as Russian bots, thanks to his access to the Twitter Files https://t.co/AkshczDRwB
— Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) March 16, 2023
But Twitter Files is no big deal and stuff, right?
The NYT article by @julianbarnes @SangerNYT @MarcSantoraNYT does not mention Watts’s disinformation campaign, quote a critic of his analysis, or contain a different perspective. Watts’s report, and the article, appear to be pretext to smear critics of US support for Ukraine.
— Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) March 16, 2023
Yup.
It’s never been about the truth – it’s always been about the narrative.
Clearly.
These paragraphs appear to be aimed at laying the groundwork for Watts, Microsoft, NYT, Biden, et al. to attack anyone who criticizes the war as a potential Russian agent, even though Biden himself blamed higher energy costs on the war.
Does that strategy sound familiar? pic.twitter.com/Sy3ye0SeQg
— Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) March 16, 2023
Putin sympathizers!
See, we were right, it DOES sound familiar.
Watts and the authors of the NYT article also appear to be attempting to conflate in the minds of readers two different things: cyber attacks and influence operations. This is a trick that the advocates of government censorship have used in the past.https://t.co/pzuRcgifUI
— Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) March 16, 2023
They want to make it even SCARIER.
As such, there are good reasons to distrust what Watts, Microsoft, and the NYT are claiming. They may be carrying out a disinformation campaign like the other disinformation campaigns we have uncovered. Please consider inoculating yourself:https://t.co/pzuRcgifUI
— Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) March 16, 2023
There’s always a good reason to distrust the New York Times.
And sadly, some former FBI officials.
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Biden’s tweet sharing his NCAA Tournament Bracket ages ALMOST as badly as he has and YIKES
Ted Lieu gets WORKED after trying to pick a fight with Ben Shapiro over solving ‘child hunger’
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