Senator: Twitter's actions on Russia-linked accounts lacking

WASHINGTON -- Social-media giant Twitter told congressional investigators Thursday it has suspended at least two dozen accounts that may have been tied to Russia, but the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee was anything but satisfied.

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said Twitter's explanations of its actions against Russia-linked accounts were "deeply disappointing," and he suggested the company doesn't understand the seriousness of Congress' investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Warner made the comments after company executives met behind closed doors with staff members of the Senate and House intelligence committees for several hours.

Warner said the information Twitter shared "was frankly inadequate on almost every level."

The disclosures by Twitter follow Facebook revelations some 3,000 ads were purchased by entities with likely ties to Russia and as congressional investigators are examining the spread of false news stories and propaganda on social media during the campaign.

The committees have been investigating Russia's election meddling and any possible coordination with associates of Republican Donald Trump in his campaign against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. They specifically have been looking at Twitter and Facebook and their roles in the spread of misinformation and propaganda during the campaign.

The company said in a blog post it found 22 accounts corresponding to about 450 Facebook accounts that likely were operated out of Russia and pushed divisive social and political issues during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Facebook has said those accounts were responsible for buying about 3,000 ads worth about $100,000. Twitter said it found an additional 179 related accounts and took action against ones that violated its rules.

The company didn't specify how many of those accounts were suspended or the type of action taken.

A person familiar with Twitter's response to the accounts said most of those accounts were found to have violated the platform's rules. The person did not know whether all 179 had been suspended from the service. The person wasn't authorized to discuss the information publicly and spoke only on condition of anonymity.

Warner said Twitter's findings were "derivative" of Facebook's work and "showed an enormous lack of understanding from the Twitter team of how serious this issue is, the threat it poses to democratic institutions."

He said the meeting underscored the need for the company to come forward in a public hearing. The House and Senate intelligence panels are inviting Twitter, Facebook and Google to testify this fall.