Mueller Indicts 13 Russians For Election Interference Says They Communicated With Unwitting People Tied To Trump's Campaign
LEMON: Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicting 13 Russian nationals for interfering in the 2016 election using what the Russians themselves called information warfare. We are learning about the methods they allegedly used. But not everyone believes it. The story tonight from senior investigative correspondent Drew Griffin.</s>DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She may well be one of the unwitting Americans, Trump supporters who helped the internet trolls infiltrate U.S. communities by spreading Russian made messages without knowing it. But Florine Goldfarb still runs the Team Trump Broward Facebook page think that's all B.S. Right down to the timing of when Robert Mueller decided to release his indictments.</s>FLORINE GOLDFARB, TEAM TRUMP BROWARD: They are covering it up that they have blunder on the -- on the shooting that was done at the high school.</s>GRIFFIN: One group, the Russians operated under was called, Being Patriotic, calling themselves an online community, they were actually Russian internet trolls according the FBI, trying to direct unwitting Americans to holding rallies, posting Russian made anti-Hillary Clinton messages, even telling them what to print on their homemade signs. According to the indictment, the Russians under the online name, Being Patriotic, encouraged supporters to stage a flash mob on August 20th, and 2the Team Trump Broward group responded. Florine Goldfarb posted the information for the flash mob on the Facebook page she still runs. Co-chair of the team, Trump Broward, Dolly Rump, was there holding a crooked Hillary sign. Dolly Rump, wouldn't talk to CNN. Her husband told us by phone, we are disgusting and not to bother them. Florine Goldfarb told us, we are fake news. But what part of this is a cover- up? Are you saying that's not true or what?</s>GOLDFARB: The Russians? I don't care if they were the involved or not. That's -- that to me is the least important thing.</s>GRIFFIN: But they were involved with you. Did you guys know that?</s>GOLDFARB: They weren't involved. You know, just make sure that you report it correctly, that, you know.</s>GRIFFIN: But you guys were involved with being patriotic, right?</s>GOLDFARB: Very, very patriotic. But not...</s>GRIFFIN: Being Patriotic was the group that contacted and helped organize some these activities that you posted on your own Facebook account?</s>GOLDFARB: Those were legitimate.</s>GRIFFIN: Those were Russians.</s>GOLDFARB: They were not Russians. I don't go with the Russians. Come on give me a break.</s>GRIFFIN: That group was Russians.</s>GOLDFARB: I have nothing with the russians.</s>GRIFFIN: Well, apparently you did.</s>GOLDFARB: No.</s>GRIFFIN: Even though the indictment says the Russians organized the rally, Ms. Goldfarb, says she never communicated with any Russians and no one at any of her events were anything about Americans for Trump. The Russians pretending to be Trump organizers also reached out to Harry Miller in Boynton Beach, Florida, paying him to build a cage large enough to hold an actress depicting Clinton in prison uniform. He did just that, appearing at rallies. On Friday, Miller who now lives in Pennsylvania tweeted, this is the cage the Russians paid for. By phone, he says he learned about his unwitting involvement from the FBI. And now believes it was Russians who called him on the phone, paid in between $500, to $1,000 to build the cage.</s>HARRY MILLER, TRUMP SUPPORTER (via phone): How can you be embarrassed? They have the beautiful website, they very supportive of the candidate. There was nothing -- nothing at all to lend to you think that it's anything other than people trying to support a candidate.</s>GRIFFIN: The Russians weren't just recruiting unwitting Trump supporters. As CNN reported last October, a group calling itself Black Fist turned out to be Russians, trying to infiltrate black communities and seed social unrest. Other groups were encouraged by Russian Internet trolls to hold protesting against police for and against immigrants, sometimes encouraging both at the same location to increase the possibility of violence. The indictment also reveals this post election protest outside New York's Trump Tower was organized by Russians on Facebook. It grew so large even CNN covered it. Micah White, one of the original Occupy Wall Street organizer says he believes he was contacted by Russian trolls in May of 2016. He worries about the long-term effects.</s>MICAH WHITE, OCCUPY WALL STREET ORGANIZER: If it's true that a Russian created activist group is indistinguishable from an American created group, that will make -- that will have negative impacts on our ability to create social movements that are positive, that actually benefit ourselves and not some sort of foreign power. So that...</s>GRIFFIN: People will always be wondering, well, is this a real event.</s>WHITE: And I think that may have been part of the goal of the Russian thing.</s>GRIFFIN: To Florine Goldfarb there is no Russian thing. It's all as she repeatedly told us,</s>B.S. GOLDFARB:  B.S. GRIFFIN: B.S.? 2</s>GOLDFARB: And please, please report that, I don't believe that. That's bull shit. I know all the people that were with me, OK? They were at my meetings. They're all Trump supporters, OK?</s>GRIFFIN: But did you realize that you guys were in communication electronically with Russians?</s>GOLDFARB: Not me. Not me. I don't know.</s>GRIFFIN: You were posting stuff on Facebook.</s>GOLDFARB: Hillary -- Hillary Clinton was and so was all her bandits.</s>GRIFFIN: You are in charge of the Facebook account, right? You were posting and reposting almost word for word the information that was coming out of this Internet Research Agency...</s>GOLDFARB: No. Goodbye.</s>GRIFFIN: ... in St. Petersburg.</s>GOLDFARB: No.</s>GRIFFIN: You don't believe that?</s>GOLDFARB: No. It's bull shit.</s>GRIFFIN: Don, she just refuses to believe what appears to be fact, that these Russian trolls were so adept at infiltrating the online political discussion in this country, they even at times convinced Americans where and when to stage protests, demonstrations, and even to build a Hillary Clinton cage on the back of a pick up truck. Don.</s>LEMON: Thanks, Drew. Unbelievable. When we come back Russian trolls didn't stop trying to influence Americans after the election. In fact, they're busier than ever disrupting the conversation on gun control in the wake of the Florida shooting. More on that next.