Rick Gates Allegedly Sought Proposals From Israeli Company To Create Fake Social Media Accounts In 2016

Rick Gates was a trusted member of Donald Trump‘s campaign team, working with him during the 2016 presidential election. According to a new report in The New York Times, Gates, 46, requested proposals from an Israeli company to help collect information on their political opponents and create fake social media accounts.

RICK GATES SOUGHT PROPOSALS TO INFLUENCE 2016 ELECTIONS

Psy-Group, which mostly employees former Israeli intelligence officers, suggested using fake accounts to target Ted Cruz, Trump’s closest rival back during the Republican primaries, in one proposal. This was expected to affect 5,000 delegates, swaying them away from the Texas Senator.

Hillary Clinton, the frontrunner during the Democrat primaries and Trump’s direct rival during the general election, was also accounted for in Psy-Group’s proposals, one of which focused on her and those close to her. A third proposal again planned to use social media, this time to inspire division in competing campaigns.

SLIDESHOW: DONALD TRUMP’S 30 CRAZIEST TWEETS

According to one of the Times‘ sources, Gates was not enthused over Psy-Group’s proposals, and it is unknown if the Trump campaign worked with them. It is known that Joel Zamel, Psy-Group’s owner, met with Donald Trump Jr. back in August 2016, however.

As for Gates, Robert Mueller and the special council found him guilty of various accounts of tax evasion and fraud. Gates pled guilty to many of the charges and began cooperating with the special counsel in their investigation.