Lawmakers hammer Facebook and Twitter for not fully investigating if Russian bots spread the #ReleasetheMemo campaign

Top Democratic lawmakers slammed Facebook and Twitter for dodging new questions about Russian efforts to spread propaganda on their platforms.  For Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), their continued concerns center on the #ReleaseTheMemo campaign. The hashtag, popular at times on Twitter, calls attention a still-secret report produced by congressional Republicans that its leaders say shows abuse of power at the FBI. Beyond doubting its credibility, Democrats remain fearful that Kremlin-aligned bots and trolls on major social media platforms have sought to amplify and spread #ReleaseTheMemo — all in a bid to discredit the Justice Department’s investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Earlier, Rep Schiff and Sen Feinstein wrote to demand Facebook and Twitter conduct a full investigation. Now, though, the lawmakers said they are dissatisfied with the tech giants’ replies — and demanded that they look more closely. “As the 2018 election season begins in earnest, we cannot allow Russia or any other outside power to manipulate U.S. public opinion or degrade Americans’ trust in the authenticity of domestic political and policy debates,” the Democratic lawmakers wrote in their new letter.