Trump, Sanders and Stein got love from Facebook ads linked to Russia. Clinton did not.

The ads were more about undermining Clinton than boosting Trump.
 By 
Colin Daileda
 on 
Trump, Sanders and Stein got love from Facebook ads linked to Russia. Clinton did not.
Credit: Erik Pendzich/REX/Shutterstock

Some of Facebook's Russia-linked ads supported President Donald Trump, some boosted Green Party candidate Jill Stein, and others touted Sen. Bernie Sanders, but the world has yet to see or hear of one that was in favor of Hillary Clinton. 

That information comes courtesy of Politico, which reports that one pro-Stein ad featured the hashtag, #GrowaSpineVoteJillStein.

The ads, as Politico alluded to, don't show an all-out effort to elect Trump as much as they show an effort to undermine Clinton -- the former Democratic Party nominee -- and deepen political divides in the U.S. Facebook said the price tag for the ads came to only around $150,000, though the ads are seen as part of a larger attempt by the Russian government to meddle with the 2016 presidential election.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg initially said it was "crazy" to think false information spread on the social platform had an effect on the election's outcome, but his company has now turned over 3,000 Russia-linked ads to committees charged with investigating Moscow's meddling in U.S. politics.

Trump attacked Facebook on Wednesday via his preferred social network, accusing the company of colluding with media outlets to work against him. This came without evidence.

Zuckerberg has previously criticized Trump's ideas about immigration, and called for a more benevolent approach to refugees and undocumented immigrants.

We've reached out to Facebook for confirmation that at least some of the Moscow-linked ads were pro-Trump, pro-Sanders and pro-Stein, and we'll let you know if/when we hear back.

Topics Donald Trump

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Colin Daileda

Colin is Mashable's US & World Reporter. He previously interned at Foreign Policy magazine and The American Prospect. Colin is a graduate from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. When he's not at Mashable, you can most likely find him eating or playing some kind of sport.

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