Even MAGA bots can’t agree on the Epstein case

Researchers have uncovered a network of over 400 automated accounts on X that support the Trump administration. For the past few days, these fake accounts have been publishing contradictory rhetoric about the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein case.

According to NBC News, these fake accounts use artificial intelligence (AI) to post positive messages about prominent members of the Trump administration, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.

However, a recent controversy has disrupted the bots network's algorithm: the Trump administration's announcement that it will not release the investigation into deposed financier and pedocriminal Jeffrey Epstein to the general public.

Added to this is the claim by Pam Bondi, the Attorney General, that Epstein's client list, which according to a myriad of conspiracy theories includes members of the American and international financial and political elite, did not exist. In February, however, Ms. Bondi assured us that the list was "on her desk".

Despite his close ties with Jeffrey Epstein in the 1990s, Donald Trump had promised during the election campaign that he would make this famous client list public. For some MAGA supporters, this about-turn was a betrayal.

As a result, the Trumpist base doesn't know which way to dance, and neither do the bots. Since the controversy erupted, these fake accounts have been expressing completely opposite opinions within seconds of each other. According to researchers at Alethea, a company that analyzes social media, the political divide is too much for the AI that feeds them to handle.

For example, within the space of a minute, a fake account advised one MAGA supporter not to judge Bondi too harshly, only to assert to another that Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and Assistant Director Dan Bongino should resign over the scandal.

When Bondi first stated that she wouldn't be releasing any new records, another account claimed that she was "emerging cleared as the DOJ confirms that no Epstein client list has been found, while reaffirming her suicide." Since then, the same account has encouraged several X users to completely revolt against the Trump administration.

"It's possible that the behavior of these automated accounts is influenced by content posted by prominent influencers, and this shift reflects the general change in tone among many Trump supporters," Shawn Eib, head of investigations at Alethea, tells NBC News.

As is often the case with automated accounts, those consulted by NBC News have only a few dozen subscribers, and their posts rarely generate many views. Their goal is not necessarily to be widely followed, but rather to serve as a partisan echo chamber, capable of "shaping perceptions", explains N. Darren Linvill, director of the Media Forensics Hub at Clemson University, which specializes in the study of online disinformation campaigns.

According to NBC News, researchers had already discovered another network of AI-powered pro-Trump accounts on X last year. However, it remains impossible to assess the true scale of their presence on the platform.

The White House and X did not respond to requests for comment from NBC News.

When billionaire Elon Musk bought X in 2022, he dismantled much of the team responsible for trust and security on the platform. What's more, X has since considerably restricted access to its data for researchers.