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Special Counsel Mueller Is Investigating Facebook Ads Linked To Russia

Special counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly investigating Facebook ads bought by bogus Russian-linked accounts.
Posted at 4:46 PM, Sep 16, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-16 16:46:34-04

Facebook recently revealed bogus Russian-linked accounts bought $100,000 worth of politically charged ads on its site. Now, those ads are in the possession of special counsel Robert Mueller.

Mueller reportedly used a warrant to obtain the ads and to learn more about the people that bought them.

To obtain a warrant, experts say Mueller would have needed to prove he has a reasonable suspicion a crime was committed. They also say this could mean Mueller is aiming to charge foreign entities with a crime.

Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said the level of sophistication of the ads could let investigators find out if the Trump campaign had any involvement.

Facebook says it's working with investigators and will continue to look into the ad buys to see if any other foreign bots purchased ads that the company hasn't found yet.