The revelation shows how far Russia was willing to go to foment unrest and division in the US in the months leading up to the election.
A Facebook page named Heart of Texas, whose link to Russia was first reported by Business Insider, organized a rally at noon on May 21 at the Islamic Da'wah Center in Houston to "Stop Islamization of Texas."
The account paid to promote the event, which was viewed by about 12,000 people, said the committee's chairman, Sen. Richard Burr.
Another Russia-linked account, United Muslims of America, organized a counterprotest â a "Save Islamic Knowledge" rally.
More than 2,700 people saw an ad placed by the account that targeted people in the Houston area, Burr said.
"Ironically, one person who attended stated, 'The Heart of Texas promoted this event, but we didn't see one of them,'" Burr said.
It's hard to attend an event in Houston, Texas, when you're trolling from a site in St. Petersburg, Russia.". »
