WASHINGTON _ The White House branded the federal budget impasse, which appeared to be ending on Monday, as the "Schumer Shutdown" in its attempt to pin the blame on Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y.
But it wasn't just Republicans using that phrase during the weekend government shutdown. Independent analysts said Twitter accounts linked to Russia have spread the same message.
The website Hamilton 68, which monitors accounts it considers to be part of Russian influence networks, said #SchumerShutdown was the top hashtag over the last two days.
Following close behind was #releasethememo, a reference to a classified document prepared by Rep. Devin Nunes, a California Republican who chairs the House Intelligence Committee.
Some Republicans are pushing to make the memo public, saying it reveals corruption in how federal investigators probed President Donald Trump's campaign for its contacts with Russia. Democrats say the memo distorts facts.
Social media companies have been under fire for being exploited in what U.S. intelligence agencies say was a concerted attempt by Russia to influence the 2016 campaign, an effort that's currently the subject of congressional and criminal investigations.
On Friday, Twitter announced it was emailing notifications to 677,775 people who followed or interacted with accounts believed to be linked with a Russian propaganda organization.
