NBC’s claim Tulsi Gabbard is supported by a Kremlin propaganda effort is based on data from a cybersecurity firm already exposed for creating fake Russian bot accounts, prompting a sharp rebuke from Gabbard and mockery online.
The network published an article claiming “Russia’s propaganda machine” had discovered Gabbard, and said experts tracking Russian-linked social media saw “stirrings of a possible campaign of support.”
It has since been revealed by The Intercept that the NBC report relied on the claims of a discredited cybersecurity firm exposed in December as making up fake Russian bot accounts to create misleading stories about Russian influence.