debate over many NFL players’ decision to kneel during the national anthem, the viral hashtags #takeaknee (in support of the kneeling players) and #standfortheflag (against them) were both boosted heavily by Russian-backed accounts. Vladimir Putin, WikiLeaks (his off-the-books disinformation operation), and many other foreign actors see an America that is perilously divided, and they are looking for ways to exploit that vulnerability—not chiefly to help Republicans or Democrats, but to hurt all Americans.
