President Donald Trump took to Twitter Saturday afternoon to insist, yet again, that Russia played no part in his 2016 electoral victory.
In his defense, Trump quoted Rob Goldman, Facebook’s vice president of advertising, who himself wrote, “I have seen all of the Russian ads and I can say very definitively that swaying the election was *NOT* the main goal.”
“I have seen all of the Russian ads and I can say very definitively that swaying the election was *NOT* the main goal.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2018
Rob Goldman
Vice President of Facebook Ads https://t.co/A5ft7cGJkE
Most of the coverage of Russian meddling involves their attempt to effect the outcome of the 2016 US election. I have seen all of the Russian ads and I can say very definitively that swaying the election was *NOT* the main goal.
— Rob Goldman (@robjective) February 17, 2018
“The majority of the Russian ad spend happened AFTER the election,” Goldman elaborated. “We shared that fact, but very few outlets have covered it because it doesn’t align with the main media narrative of Tump [sic] and the election.”
Goldman’s tweets come after special counsel Robert Mueller’s latest indictments on Friday found no evidence of collusion between Trump’s campaign and the Kremlin. But, as Politico notes, the indictment “did not touch on issues like the hacking of Democratic emails and meetings between Trump associates and Russians,” and “drew no conclusions about whether the Russian effort might have swayed any votes.”
After his initial tweets drew criticism (and a Trump retweet), Goldman issued a follow-up: “As to the substance: the Russian campaign was certainly in favor of Trump. The point is that the misinformation campaign is ongoing and must be addressed.”
Thanks for the proof read. If only One could edit ones tweet. As to the substance: the Russian campaign was certainly in favor of Trump. The point is that the misinformation campaign is ongoing and must be addressed. Today, we saw Russian pro gun tweets re: Florida shooting.
— Rob Goldman (@robjective) February 17, 2018
As more facts surface, Facebook will have to hold itself accountable for its complicity in Russian interference with the election.
