Speculation about a US armed forces exercise that led some Texans to fear that the Obama administration was plotting martial law was stoked by a Russian disinformation campaign, according to a former director of the CIA. The two-month summer exercise across multiple states was described as a large but routine realistic training event by the military, but it drew particular scepticism in Texas. The state, home to some of the country’s largest bases, was designated as “hostile” territory for the purposes of the exercise. Louie Gohmert, a Republican congressman from Texas who serves on a homeland security subcommittee, also voiced suspicion. Among the most extreme theories were that empty Walmarts would be turned into concentration camps and ice cream trucks used as portable morgues.

Source: The Guardian May 03, 2018 21:56 UTC