Hoffman donated to a group called American Engagement Technologies (AET), which allegedly funded another project, New Knowledge, that used social media to boost support for Democrat candidate Doug Jones in his successful campaign against Republican Roy Moore. (Business Insider)

Talking point: Hoffman’s apology comes one week after The New York Times’ report on Project Birmingham, which involved creating Facebook pages to target conservative Republicans, spreading misinformation to get them to vote for write-in candidates. The project also linked Moore to Russian bots, implying his campaign was being amplified on social media by a “Russian botnet.” This is the first time Hoffman has acknowledged his donation to AET, calling their tactics “highly disturbing.” The project shows that parties on both sides are paying attention to Russian operatives, some fear that Russian interference may lead candidates to use social media manipulation because they think their opponents will.