A Florida woman grew hostile with a CNN reporter who confronted her in her front yard about promoting a pro-Donald Trump event at the apparent behest of Russian trolls.
Florine Gruen Goldfarb runs the Facebook page for Team Trump Broward County, and the group posted events that were promoted and encouraged by Russian trolls as part of its extensive election meddling operation, according to reports. One event was a "Florida Goes Trump" flash mob.
CNN reporter Drew Griffin approached Goldfarb in the yard of her home, where she told Griffin he was "fake news" and "part of the cover-up."
A Florida woman who ran a Trump supporters page that unwittingly promoted a Russian-coordinated event on Facebook says she doesn’t believe that she was influenced by Kremlin-linked trolls https://t.co/DmgDRFRwynpic.twitter.com/OAz5julCyA
— CNN (@CNN) February 21, 2018
"What part of it in this is a cover-up?" Griffin asked. "Are you saying that's not true, or what?"
"The Russians? I don't care if they were involved or not. That to me is the least important thing," Goldfarb said.
Griffin asked Goldfarb if she knew the Russians were involved, but Goldfarb said they "weren't involved with us." CNN's Twitter video labeled her as having "unwittingly promoted a Russian-coordinated event."
The Internet Research Agency (IRA), a Kremlin-linked troll group in St. Petersburg, Russia, used a Facebook page called "Being Patriotic" that was designed to look like it was run by real Americans. The IRA and 13 associated Russian nationals were named in Robert Mueller's indictment on Friday for their role in an illicit "information warfare" campaign to influence the U.S. election.
Told by Griffin that she was duped by this group, Goldfarb said, "They were not Russians. I don't go with the Russians."
"That group was Russians," Griffin said.
"Give me a break!" Goldfarb said. "I have nothing to do with the Russians."
"Maybe you didn't know it, but you did," Griffin said.
"Oh please. When you're talking like this, I don't want to have anything to do with you," Goldfarb said, adding that the people with her for the Trump events were all real Trump supporters.
She went on to call Griffin's explanation "BS."
"I don't believe that. That's bullshit," she said. "I know all the people that were with me. They were at my meetings. They're all Trump supporters."
The encounter got more tense as Griffin continued to insist to Goldfarb she was in "electronic communication with Russians" and had written on her Facebook page nearly verbatim the information coming from the IRA in St. Petersburg.
Goldfarb finally walked back into her house.
"You don't believe that?" Griffin asked.
"Nope. It's bullshit," she said, walking away.