‘House Of Cards’ Was Required Viewing At Russian ‘Troll Factory,’ Netflix Drama Used To Explain U.S. Politics

Is Netflix’s House of Cards an accurate portrayal of U.S. politics? Vladimir Putin might think so.

An interview with a former top Russian internet operative (a professional “troll”) was broadcast Sunday on the Russian TV station Rain. According to Yahoo News, “Maksim,” a former member of a St. Petersburg based “troll factory,” known as the “Internet Research Center,” opened up about the techniques used as part of Vladimir Putin’s campaign to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election through internet disinformation and provocative comments, i.e. trolling. This internet trolling has been blamed in part for the election of Donald Trump.

One of these new insights was that the disinformation agents were required to watch the hit Netflix drama House of Cards, which stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright as the sociopathic political power couple Frank and Claire Underwood, to learn how the American government works.

Maksim says that the trolls’ prime directive was to demonize Hillary Clinton and her husband, former president Bill Clinton. Their top targets were the scandals of Bill Clinton’s presidency (including his affair with intern Monica Lewinsky), Hillary Clinton’s private email server, their wealth, and the idea that the two Clintons have been a prominent part of American politics for a long time.

“The main message is: Are not you, my American brothers, tired of the Clintons?”

Maksim worked for the elite english language division at the so-called “troll factory,” the division which Facebook says is responsible for placing over 3,000 targeted ads on its platform in order to help sway the presidential election in the United States.

The trolls’ job was to place divisive comments that would spark argument and further the political divides between liberals and conservatives in America. Maksim says that the main issues addressed were “tax problems, the problem of gays, sexual minorities, weapons.” He elaborated on how they triggered arguments on LGBT issues.

“When it was gays, we almost always had to bring out the religious themes. Americans are very religious, especially those [who post] on news sites and write comments. You had to write that sodomy is a sin. That could always get you a couple of dozen ‘likes.'”

In the interview, he says that House of Cards, which has just been renewed for a sixth season, was part of a list of media they were required to study to better understand the political issues facing the United States.

How Accurate is House of Cards?

It may seem strange for a covert network of disinformation agents overseen by the top Russian intelligence to get their information from a Netflix drama, but according to Gotham Magazine, in a 2015 interview with House of Cards star Kevin Spacey, former president Bill Clinton told Spacey that “99% of what you do on the show is accurate.” Of course, the Washington Post responded to that quote with a list of things the political drama got wrong. Some even say that Frank Underwood is a less menacing character than Donald Trump.

At the end of the day, House of Cards is fiction, very well reviewed fiction, but an invented narrative nonetheless. Whatever the accuracy of its scheming politicians is, it is not the truth.

The Russian troll farm wasn’t necessarily interested in the truth, however. They were more interested in the nature of mistrust that Americans have in their government, and for that purpose House of Cards is well suited.

[Featured Image by Paul Morigi/Getty Images For Netflix]