Inside The Mueller Report, This Man Found A Photo Of His Dad Being Used By Russians

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"When a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election was released to the public and Congress this week, the effects of Russian influence efforts through social media became clearer.

Part of the information included in the report were examples of material that Russian trolls used, and one particular image stuck out to Ronnie Hipshire, a retired coal miner in West Virginia.

On Page 31 of the Mueller report, Hipshire saw a photo of his father, Lee, another coal miner who died of complications from black lung disease, on a poster for a "Miners for Trump" rally in Pennsylvania. The Russian troll farm called the Internet Research Agency had used the photo, without the family's permission, for a pro-Trump poster."

<snip>

"What I didn't like about seeing this on the Mueller report is them stealing my dad's picture and putting it on a Trump campaign rally," Hipshire said in an interview with NPR's All Things Considered. "My dad was one of the most staunch Democrats that you'll ever see in your life, and he never would have even thought about putting his face on something like that. It just was beyond me to see it."


https://www.npr.org/2019/04/21/715765240/inside-the-mueller-report-this-man-found-a-photo-of-his-dad-being-used-by-russia

[Blue Owl]

1. K&R for exposure

Hope that family sues Red Don and his Russian goons...

[mopinko]

2. please sue. oh please sue.

[nini]

3. I'd be pissed too

If someone did that with an image of my dad I'd lose my stinking mind. My dad was like this guy's dad - hardcore Democrat on the right side of history.

[Cracklin Charlie]

4. "Materials that Russian trolls used"

And it’s an official Trump/Pence rally poster?

How much evidence is needed?

[TwilightZone]

8. It doesn't appear to have been official.

From what I understand, official campaign docs have to have the "paid for by x" info on them, and it doesn't appear that this does.

I think they just made it look official with a hashtag and info on an actual campaign event, which would have been public info.

It's things like this that make me scoff at people (mostly right-wingers) who say that the Russian propaganda was obvious and everyone should have been able to tell what was Russian propaganda and what wasn't. Unless one knows the specifics (and I could be wrong about the disclaimer), it's not patently obvious.

[hughee99]

9. I am truly concerned about the number of people in America

That made voting decisions based on internet memes and propaganda. How do you protect the lowest of the low information voters from themselves?

[TwilightZone]

10. Agreed.

Some of my acquaintances who I thought were intelligent and who are trained professionals (doctors, etc.) were sharing clearly-false memes on social media. It's a bit perplexing how they don't see through even obvious propaganda.

At least with this particular example, it looks reasonably legitimate. Not so with a lot of the stuff people I thought knew better were sharing.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

19. BS quotes and memes get shared here on DU, too.

If you point something out and suggest that we should hold ourselves to higher standards you stand a 50/50 chance of being called a nitpicker or something. Whether they go on to repeat the bad info elsewhere, I don't know. I've always been amazed at the lengths some really bright and accomplished people will go to avoid admitting they messed up or were fooled.

[TwilightZone]

21. Agreed.

I see that often here as well. The ability to see what we want to see doesn't apply only to the right, of course. It's human nature, but we really sure try to hold ourselves to better standards.

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. Not even an actual campaign event - see #14 (nt)

[TwilightZone]

17. Huh, interesting.

Thanks for the info. I just assumed (oops) that it was an actual event to make it seem legit.

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. There wasn't any organised rally

Pittsburgh was among several Pennsylvania cities mentioned in the report. It cited a post that circulated on social media advertising “Miners For Trump” rallies in October 2016.

The rally in Pittsburgh was supposed to be held at Steel Plaza. Other rallies were scheduled in Philadelphia, Erie, Scranton and Harrisburg, but none ever took place.

The report says Russia created the ads and was behind the push to get people to attend.

https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2019/04/18/special-counsel-robert-mueller-report-released/

Tim McNulty, the spokesman for the city of Pittsburgh, said in an email that no applications for the rally were filed for the city, and that no permits were issued.

https://www.witf.org/news/2019/04/mueller-report-mentions-miners-for-trump-rally-in-pittsburgh.php

Whether anyone turned up at the time and places, and said "what's going on?" I've no idea. But the main purpose was just to get the target audience (and the point of these was they were targeted - so the people most likely to be able to debunk them probably never saw them - see https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212036627 ) to think there's a big "white working man's vote" for Trump. Whether Cambridge Analytica or other non-Russian groups were involved, I'd love to know.

[SMC22307]

5. Damn this pisses me off for many reasons... Trump, Pence and fucking Russians primarily.

But that man had a rough career and died as a result of it and I have zero patience with Democrats/Liberals who trash miners to score political points.

[SunSeeker]

6. Sickening.

[Corgigal]

7. Sad,

the family is a victim but republicans never care. Well, until it's them.

[Generic Other]

11. Cyberwar is ugly

I think it is safe to call this guy's dad a victim as well. I will see if I can "fix" the poster with some hard photoshop truth. Be back.

[Generic Other]

12. Look at the well-written English caption for this pic

"I am sounding so much the American now," types Ivan from his cubicle in St. Petersburg.

[Generic Other]

13. Hey Scurrilous

I helped Mr. Trump "fix-it." Whaddya think?

[Scurrilous]

20. ...

[grantcart]

23. +2

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. The real man:

Coal miner Lee Hipshire in 1976, shortly after emerging from a mine in Logan County, W.Va. at the end of his shift. At age 36, he had worked 26 years underground. A few years later, Lee took early retirement because of pneumoconiosis, or black lung disease. He died at 57.

https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2012/07/06/156386882/documenting-dirty-jobs-miners-at-work

I'm hoping that "at age 36, he had worked 26 years underground" is a mistake - were 10 year kids really working underground in 1950?

[geardaddy]

18. There probably were kids working underground in 1950.

Definitely not legally. They probably worked "off the books."

[George II]

22. I thought you were talking about donnie jr.