Addressing a Washington Post report stating that Russian propaganda bots helped manipulate the 2016 presidential election in Donald Trump's favor, CNN host Alisyn Camerota claimed they were taking their cues from Fox & Friends -- the Fox News show she used to host before moving to her current network.
According to CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, the Russians have clearly been in Trump's camp for years, and the recent report bears that out.
"It just shows that the Russian social media effort, this Russian covert effort, has been aligned with Donald Trump's interests for more than a year," Toobin explained. "Pro-Trump, anti-Clinton, suppressing the African-American vote -- which is largely democratic -- helping [Green Party presidential candidate] Jill Stein, who was a spoiler for Hillary Clinton."
"And now they're attacking Robert Mueller," he emphasized. "All of these separate efforts are completely aligned with Donald Trump's interests, often word for word, and it's what Russia has been doing covertly -- it is extraordinary."
Host Camerota jumped in to add that this is not something new and the Russians have been watching rightwing social media for the "sweet spots" that get conservative's juices flowing.
She then admitted the Russians have been taking tips from Fox News morning show Fox & Friends which she once co-hosted.
"I see the clues planted in conservative social media, where the Russian trolls got their ideas, for exactly the sweet-spot, exactly how they knew what would appeal to people on Twitter," Camerota exclaimed. "I mean, there are things that I heard years earlier about Robert Mueller on Fox News that they seize on, that now we know."
"Here's one example: this is where they claim that Robert Mueller is the Russian special counsel, he worked with radical Islamic groups," she explained. "I remember that being a talking point on Fox and Friends in probably 2010 -- connect the dots."
"This is where Russian trolls figured out, 'oh, this is going to make an impact,' -- and they're still doing it today," she concluded.
Watch the video below via CNN:
