Mysterious influencer network pushed sexual smears of Harris

The organizers of a mysterious network paid influencers to promote sexual smears of Vice President Kamala Harris as Democrats rallied around her to be their presidential candidate in late July.

The attacks were part of a campaign that was, on the surface, an unremarkable part of a new wave of social media marketing. It’s blurred the lines in both US political parties between paid advertising and the posts of enthusiastic supporters — as partisan influencers often cast themselves — who just happen to be paid.

The network that would push the sexual smears began with more run-of-the-mill Republican talking points, but it was unusual in one way, a person who participated in its video calls said: None of the participants identified themselves by name, and all joined calls with their cameras off to preserve their mutual anonymity. However, Semafor was able to identify one of them: former New York Republican Rep. George Santos, who spoke up on one conference call to object when the parties discussed making sexual allegations against Harris.