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America got played | Indictment shows America did what Russia wanted

After Russia indictments, Trump insists: 'No collusion!'
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A rant from 11Alive anchor Vinnie Politan.

For months we have been hearing about the Russia investigation. Special Counsel Robert Mueller was taking a look at what happened during the 2016 election.

Now, some clarity after reading the 37-page indictment. Read it here.

READ | Special counsel indicts Russian nationals for interfering with U.S. elections and political processes

Here's the headline: Chaos NOT Collusion. Let me explain.

First, we have to look at who was indicted: Russians and Russian companies - but no Americans.

Without Americans, there is no collusion. Instead, what we have are Russians accused of illegally interfering in our political process.

READ | Russian operators used PayPal to buy Facebook ads, Mueller probe finds

They did it on social media. They pretended to be Americans and created fake accounts on social media with the goal of spreading "distrust towards the candidates and the political system in general."

Basically, they were stirring things up, creating accounts on both sides of the political spectrum and pitting them against each other.

Robert Mueller investigation: What is a Russian troll farm?

Here are a few examples of fake organizations they created who ended up with thousands of followers: Secured borders, Blacktivist, United Muslims of America, and Army of Jesus.

Then after the election, they continued to create chaos by organizing rallies for and against President Trump. In November of 2016, while organizing a "Show your support for President-elect Donald Trump" rally, at the same time they were organizing another rally in New York called "Trump is not my president."

After Russian indictments, Trump acknowledges Russia’s election meddling but insists: ‘No collusion!’

Here's the sad conclusion: they were successful. America got played. Just log onto social media or turn on cable news and you can see the results. You know who else got played? Our political leaders who have been spewing innuendo and rumors for months now - all of it creating the exact chaos the Russians intended.

Watch Vinnie Politan on #TheLateFeed tonight after the Olympics

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