Trump Campaign Aide Requested Online Manipulation Plans From Israeli Intelligence Firm

The upshot here is that way back in March/April of 2016, Rick Gates requested proposals from the now defunct Israel intelligence firm, Psy-Group, for "campaign intelligence and influence services." Among three proposals was one to sway Republican delegates in Trump's favor. This included gathering information on the delegates and then using a crew of 40 people, using thousands of fake social media profiles, to target and bombard some 2,500 delegates with tailored messages.

To keep the excerpt short, here are the bits summarizing the three distinct proposals:

Trump Campaign Aide Requested Online Manipulation Plans From Israeli Intelligence Firm

The first document, dated April 2016, said that the company “was asked to provide a proposal” for “campaign intelligence and influence services.” Psy-Group promised that “veteran intelligence officers” would use various methods to assess the leanings of the roughly 5,000 delegates to the Republican nominating convention.

After scouring social media accounts and all other available information to compile a dossier on the psychology of any persuadable delegate, more than 40 Psy-Group employees would use “authentic looking” fake online identities to bombard up to 2,500 targets with specially tailored messages meant to win them over to Mr. Trump.

The messages would describe Mr. Cruz’s “ulterior motives or hidden plans,” or they would appear to come from former Cruz supporters or from influential individuals with the same background or ideology as a target. The barrage of messages would continue for months and include “both online and offline” approaches, even telephone calls.

Psy-Group also said that it would obtain “unique intel” by different means, including “covert sources” and “tailored avatars.”

Each approach would “look authentic and not part of the paid campaign,” the proposal promised. The price tag for the work was more than $3 million. To carry out the plan, Psy-Group intended to double its size, hiring an additional 50 employees — some of them American citizens — and renting new office space, according to former employees of the company.

A second proposal focused on gathering information about Mrs. Clinton and 10 of her associates through publicly available data as well as unspecified “complementary intelligence activities.” Psy-Group promised to prepare a comprehensive dossier on each of the targets, including “any actionable intelligence.”

A third document emphasized “tailored third-party messaging” aimed at minority, suburban female and undecided voters in battleground states. It promised to create and maintain fake online personas that would deliver messages highlighting Mr. Trump’s merits and Mrs. Clinton’s weaknesses or revealing “rifts and rivalries within the opposition.”

Reiterating from the top, I think the most interesting aspect of this is the influence campaign, targeting individuals delegates with custom authentic looking social media posts/messages.

The article also gets into the pitch made by the company's owner, Joel Zamel, to Donald Trump, Jr. on August 3, 2016. You can read more about that in my thread here:

NYT: Gulf States Offered Trump Election Help, Erik Prince Lied to Congress

If you're hitting a paywall at NYT, The Hill has an article here:

NYT: Rick Gates sought plans to use fake online identities in Trump's 2016 campaign

How far are you guys going to reach?

It's getting sad.

😢

Electioneering schemes eh. Typical politician BS.

Who better to get such manipulative insights from than Zionist extremists?

a reply to: theantediluvian

It's no dossier.....

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

You have to admit, targeting delegates specifically and bombarding them with custom messages from thousands of fake personas is a novel approach.

At least it's one I haven't come across.

originally posted by: Muninn
How far are you guys going to reach?

It's getting sad.

😢

Till we can check your prostate gland for imperfections.

a reply to: theantediluvian

I'm not seeing the relevance?

I thought paid for opposition research was ok?

Now it's an issue?

I suggest you look into the democrats if that is the case.

originally posted by: shooterbrody
a reply to: theantediluvian

It's no dossier.....

Actually, that was one of the proposals:

A second proposal focused on gathering information about Mrs. Clinton and 10 of her associates through publicly available data as well as unspecified “complementary intelligence activities.” Psy-Group promised to prepare a comprehensive dossier on each of the targets, including “any actionable intelligence.”

a reply to: theantediluvian

Its admirable compared to what the GOP did to Ron Paul delegates (2008, 2012) and the DNC did to Bernie delegates (2016). Rainbows and puppydogs in comparison!

a reply to: Vector99

I thought paid for opposition research was ok?

This is not opposition research:

After scouring social media accounts and all other available information to compile a dossier on the psychology of any persuadable delegate, more than 40 Psy-Group employees would use “authentic looking” fake online identities to bombard up to 2,500 targets with specially tailored messages meant to win them over to Mr. Trump.

The messages would describe Mr. Cruz’s “ulterior motives or hidden plans,” or they would appear to come from former Cruz supporters or from influential individuals with the same background or ideology as a target. The barrage of messages would continue for months and include “both online and offline” approaches, even telephone calls.

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

Just wait until they kill them and replace them with androids!

originally posted by: theantediluvian

originally posted by: shooterbrody
a reply to: theantediluvian

It's no dossier.....

Actually, that was one of the proposals:

A second proposal focused on gathering information about Mrs. Clinton and 10 of her associates through publicly available data as well as unspecified “complementary intelligence activities.” Psy-Group promised to prepare a comprehensive dossier on each of the targets, including “any actionable intelligence.”

Lol
Let me guess you will be going as Harvey 2 face this halloween?

Did our allies spy on American citizens on trumps behalf as well?

originally posted by: theantediluvian
The upshot here is that way back in March/April of 2016, Rick Gates requested proposals from the now defunct Israel intelligence firm, Psy-Group, for "campaign intelligence and influence services." Among three proposals was one to sway Republican delegates in Trump's favor. This included gathering information on the delegates and then using a crew of 40 people, using thousands of fake social media profiles, to target and bombard some 2,500 delegates with tailored messages.

To keep the excerpt short, here are the bits summarizing the three distinct proposals:

Trump Campaign Aide Requested Online Manipulation Plans From Israeli Intelligence Firm

The first document, dated April 2016, said that the company “was asked to provide a proposal” for “campaign intelligence and influence services.” Psy-Group promised that “veteran intelligence officers” would use various methods to assess the leanings of the roughly 5,000 delegates to the Republican nominating convention.

After scouring social media accounts and all other available information to compile a dossier on the psychology of any persuadable delegate, more than 40 Psy-Group employees would use “authentic looking” fake online identities to bombard up to 2,500 targets with specially tailored messages meant to win them over to Mr. Trump.

The messages would describe Mr. Cruz’s “ulterior motives or hidden plans,” or they would appear to come from former Cruz supporters or from influential individuals with the same background or ideology as a target. The barrage of messages would continue for months and include “both online and offline” approaches, even telephone calls.

Psy-Group also said that it would obtain “unique intel” by different means, including “covert sources” and “tailored avatars.”

Each approach would “look authentic and not part of the paid campaign,” the proposal promised. The price tag for the work was more than $3 million. To carry out the plan, Psy-Group intended to double its size, hiring an additional 50 employees — some of them American citizens — and renting new office space, according to former employees of the company.

A second proposal focused on gathering information about Mrs. Clinton and 10 of her associates through publicly available data as well as unspecified “complementary intelligence activities.” Psy-Group promised to prepare a comprehensive dossier on each of the targets, including “any actionable intelligence.”

A third document emphasized “tailored third-party messaging” aimed at minority, suburban female and undecided voters in battleground states. It promised to create and maintain fake online personas that would deliver messages highlighting Mr. Trump’s merits and Mrs. Clinton’s weaknesses or revealing “rifts and rivalries within the opposition.”

Reiterating from the top, I think the most interesting aspect of this is the influence campaign, targeting individuals delegates with custom authentic looking social media posts/messages.

The article also gets into the pitch made by the company's owner, Joel Zamel, to Donald Trump, Jr. on August 3, 2016. You can read more about that in my thread here:

NYT: Gulf States Offered Trump Election Help, Erik Prince Lied to Congress

If you're hitting a paywall at NYT, The Hill has an article here:

NYT: Rick Gates sought plans to use fake online identities in Trump's 2016 campaign

Did the implement it at all, or did they just research it....inquiring minds want to know. And if so is that illegal in any way shape or form.

a reply to: shooterbrody

No need. Our "allies" do that all the time just for snips and giggles.

originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: Vector99

I thought paid for opposition research was ok?

This is not opposition research:

After scouring social media accounts and all other available information to compile a dossier on the psychology of any persuadable delegate, more than 40 Psy-Group employees would use “authentic looking” fake online identities to bombard up to 2,500 targets with specially tailored messages meant to win them over to Mr. Trump.

The messages would describe Mr. Cruz’s “ulterior motives or hidden plans,” or they would appear to come from former Cruz supporters or from influential individuals with the same background or ideology as a target. The barrage of messages would continue for months and include “both online and offline” approaches, even telephone calls.

Yeah, it actually sounds like targeted advertising tbh.

Just for the record, do you think Hillary did this too?

Something about rules for radicals and blaming your opposition for what you do.
Interesting this is "breaking" now......you know with Baker in the news for spilling his guts and all.

a reply to: theantediluvian


Kind of hard to throw a fit over this when Obama repealed the Smith Mundt Act in the NDAA?

originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

You have to admit, targeting delegates specifically and bombarding them with custom messages from thousands of fake personas is a novel approach.

At least it's one I haven't come across.

Since when has spam ever actually been effective at influencing anyone?

Whether messages designed to win people over to Trump, penis enlargement, or a million other messages?

Sounds like they were looking for a way to bypass the biased media that was colluding with the Clinton campaign so they could get Trumps message out instead of the smear campaign paid for by the DNC.

a reply to: theantediluvian

So, one party's Bots and Fake are better than the other party's? It is not like the Dems were angels here, they just got beat at their own game of which Trump is/was a member. He fights dirty just like they do and appears to do it as well or better. Progressives will be progressives regardless of party affiliation.

www.bbc.com...

Pro-Clinton bots 'fought back but outnumbered in second debate'

Web robots dedicated to posting pro-Hillary Clinton tweets appear to have become more vocal in the second US presidential debate, says a study.

But it adds that pro-Donald Trump bots saw an even bigger gain in activity, giving the Republican a potential advantage on the social network.

The suspected bot accounts tweeted more than 1.7 million times on the days of the debates and the next three days.


Busy bots

The analysis of the second debate identified 194,598 tweets from suspected pro-Clinton accounts between 9 and 12 October.

That marked a 42.4% rise on activity in favour of the Democrat - she had benefited from 136,639 such tweets in the first debate.

Barack Obama is political king of the fake Twitter followers, with more than 19.5 MILLION online fans who don't really exist
www.dailymail.co.uk...

The four phoniest accounts in the sample, which included Democratic and Republican Party leaders in Washington, D.C., were those belonging to President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, first lady Michelle Obama and the White House communications shop.

Overall, the five most influential accounts linked to the Obama administration – the first lady has two – account for 23.4 million fake followers.

Biden's nonexistent fans make up 46 per cent of his Twitter total, with 20 per cent being 'real' followers. The White House's followers are 37 per cent fake and 25 per cent active; the first lady's primary account is 36 per cent fake and 29 per cent active.