{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.risch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2017/11/risch-questions-tech-companies-about-russian-bought-advertisements-disinformation-campaign-in-idaho", "Risch Questions Tech Companies about Russian-Bought Advertisements, Disinformation Campaign in Idaho", "2017-11-01", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "ID", "Jim Risch", "R000584", "www.risch.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Facebook releases advertisements purchased in Idaho (see below)\r\nWitnesses agree with Risch: Russian attempt to influence Americans extends beyond the scope of the 2016 elections\r\n\r\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-ID), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, today questioned officials from Facebook, Twitter and Google about the use of their companies\u2019 platforms by Russians to share disinformation and sow widespread division in America. Witnesses agreed with Risch,\u00a0who referenced specific examples of Russian-bought advertisements in Idaho\u00a0, that the Russians\u2019 attempt to influence Americans extended beyond the scope of the 2016 elections. Click\u00a0here\u00a0to watch the full committee exchange.\u00a0To view examples of Russian-bought ads in Idaho, continue below.\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u201cSo I want to come at this from a little different perspective. The 2016 elections got a lot of the politicians riled up, because it went after the political process. But my conclusion is, \u2026 that this is a lot deeper than just the elections. \u2026 There are a lot of things that the Russians are trying to do, and not just inject themselves into the electoral process. It seems to me that, after you \u2026 say, \"What's going on here? \u2026 The conclusion I've reached is that the Russians are doing what they've done all along, long before your technology even existed, and that is trying to sow discord.\u201d\r\nFacebook has provided the committee with over 3,300 Russian-bought advertisements and posts that ran between June 2015 and August 2017.\u00a0Among them were ads that referenced or featured Idaho related topics.\u00a0Examples of those ads are below. Facebook found that the Russian-based Internet Research Agency (IRA) spent approximately $100,000 on Facebook and Instagram ads during the period. Facebook estimates that 11.4 million people in the United States saw at least one of the 3,300 plus ads bought by accounts linked to the Russian government. In addition to the ads, Facebook estimates that approximately 126 million people may have been served Russian-bought content at some point during the two-year period.\r\n\r\nRussian-linked accounts also commented on the above ad: \u201cIf you invite someone to your home, you expect a guest to be thankful to you. However, Muslim refugees have another overview of the rules on conduct an ethics. Residents of Twin Falls, Idaho are terrorized by Muslim refugees. First, Muslim refugee children raped a five-year-old American girl. Then the police have recorded other instances of violence committed by refugees in the city. Mulugeta Zemu Mana, 32, is a Muslim refugee from Bosnia and Herzegovina who tried to kill three men. After police officers arrested him, Mana told at hearing, \"The only guilt I have is the day I decided to come to the country.\" I hope Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will read his words in the news. Muslim refugees don't want to go here. May it be a time to stop refugees' suffering? Let them go to Muslim countries where they will live in their accustomed surroundings! America is wrong place for Muslim Refugees!\"\r\n\r\nRussian-linked accounts also commented on the above ad: \u201c24 years ago Ruby Ridge standoff took place in Idaho. That confrontation between the Federal Government depicts the politically-motivated cruel attack on civil rights of American citizens. Liberal media made everything possible to turn this incident into the news Americans forget the next day. In fact, Ruby Bridge case was covered and washed away so perfectly that nobody calls it a national terror act committed by the government. America forces its citizens to keep silent. Remember recent Oregon standoff and what feds turned it into, never forget the untold story of the Montana Freemen and the Waco Siege. Feds do everything to keep us unarmed, numb and controllable. They don't care about the Constitution.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.risch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2017/11/risch-questions-tech-companies-about-russian-bought-advertisements-disinformation-campaign-in-idaho"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.013362780213356, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}