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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFollow the data: does a legal document link Brexit campaigns to US billionaire?
Carole Cadwalladr
Follow the data, however, and another story is revealed, which leads directly to Mercer and his close associate, Steve Bannon, now Donald Trumps chief strategist in the White House. Mercer was the owner of Cambridge Analytica, a firm which, as the Observer detailed last week, was spun out of a British firm with 30 years experience in working for governments and militaries around the world, specialising in psychological operations. At the time of the referendum, the Observer has learned, Bannon was the head of it.
What was not known, until February, was the relationship between all these figures and the Leave campaign. That was when Andy Wigmore, Leave.EUs communications director, revealed to this paper that Farage was a close friend of both Bannon and Mercer. He said that the Leave campaign was a petri dish for the Trump campaign. We shared a lot of information because what they were trying to do and what we were trying to do had massive parallels.
Wigmore also said that Mercer had been happy to help and Cambridge Analytica had given its services to the campaign for free. It was the general secretary of Ukip, a British lawyer called Matthew Richardson, who effected Leave.eus introduction to Cambridge Analytica, Wigmore said. We had a guy called Matthew Richardson whod known Nigel for a long time and hes always looked after the Mercers. The Mercers had said that heres this company that we think might be useful.
He said that Mercer, Farage and co had all met at a conference in Washington. The best dinner we ever went to. Around that table were all the rejects of the political world. And the rejects of the political world are now effectively in the White House. Its extraordinary. Jeff Sessions. [Former national security adviser Michael] Flynn, the whole lot of them. They were all there.
When the Observer revealed Mercers help in February, a gift of services, it triggered two investigations. One by the Information Commissioners Office about possible illegal use of data. And another by the Electoral Commission. Cambridge Analytica is a US company and Mercer is a US citizen and British law, designed to protect its electoral system from outside influence, expressly forbids donations from foreign or impermissible donors. The commission is also looking into the help that Gunster gave the campaign. It was not declared in Leave.EUs spending returns and if donated, it would also be impermissible. Gavin Millar QC, an expert in electoral law, says it raises questions of the utmost importance about the influence of an American citizen in a UK election.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/14/robert-mercer-cambridge-analytica-leave-eu-referendum-brexit-campaigns?CMP=share_btn_tw
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The article is long and well worth reading.
Gman
(24,780 posts)Hard proof of interference by Americans could get the referendum thrown out.