A pro-Trump influencer says a Russian agent paid him $100 to post a fake voter fraud video. It wasn’t the first time | CNN Politics
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An American social media influencer said he was paid $100 by a pro-Kremlin propagandist to post a fake video of Haitian immigrants claiming to vote in the US presidential election. The payment was one of several the man said he received from the propagandist- a registered Russian agent - to post on social media in the run-up to the election.
  • ThrowawayOnLemmy@lemmy.world
    83·
    16 days ago

    The headline makes it sound like the influencer took the money and posted the video.

    Edit: that’s because he did. His was the account that posted the fake ‘Hatian’s voting illegally in Georgia’ video.

    “I don’t have any idea where it came from or anything - I’m just the guy who shared it,” he said.

    Well, isn’t that the fuckin problem?

    AlphaFox said the staged Georgia video wasn’t the first time he was paid to post content on his X account. On roughly 10 other occasions, Boikov paid him $100 to post memes and videos on the account, he said.

    “It started with memes, and it seemed innocent,” he told CNN.

    When Boikov’s requests then shifted to posting election-related videos, like the fake Georgia voter fraud footage, “I didn’t think anything of it,” he said.

    He insisted to CNN he did not know Boikov worked for Russian state media.

    A useful idiot, accepting peanuts and unknowingly weakening our democracy. Anyone from any side of the political spectrum should be cautious of anyone offering money to push a meme.

    • Soup@lemmy.world
      34·
      16 days ago

      “I didn’t think anything of it.”

      Yes, we know. Not thinking is common all over the spectrum because humans™ but it’s a pre-requisite to being anything right of center.

      I hate reading this stuff because these fucking ass-wipes always seem so surprised after the consequences happen and even then someone usually needs to point it out to them. Like “how could I have known???” and it’s like “very easily! It was painfully obvious and everyone was telling you including credible experts!”

    • jaybone@lemmy.world
      11·
      16 days ago

      $100 for an influencer. $10,000 for a congressman. It’s all peanuts for them. The ROI is insane.

  • Canopyflyer@lemmy.worldEnglish
    8·
    16 days ago

    Nail a few of these idiots with sedition charges and suddenly the rest might be interested in checking their sources. Even those in the so called “main stream media”.

  • Dasus@lemmy.world
    24·
    16 days ago

    The pro-Trump influencer, who uses the @AlphaFox78 handle on X, is an American man living in Massachusetts, CNN has learned. He agreed to speak to CNN about the posts on condition of anonymity.

    I agree with what you did there, CNN.

  • DaddleDew@lemmy.world
    20·
    16 days ago

    $100 to become a traitor to your own country?

    If that’s not a cheap whore I don’t know what is.

    • andrew_bidlaw@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      2·
      16 days ago

      It sounds bigger if it’s 8k in roubles tho. And more prophetic if it’s thirty of silver.

      IDK how russian influence network budgets things but it’s very small even there. Like a monthly rent somewhere deep in the ass or a monthly pay for a basic manual labor you are supposed to chain multiple wages from, like moping one floor in an office building. I imagine the guy had millions set aside with buying this dude so cheap.