Mitt Romney and the few other Republican lawmakers who have spoken out against Trump lately have become the targets of disinformation on social media. False Facebook posts and tweets about federal and local lawmakers who broke the party line have been shared thousands of times, with some talking points making their way onto radio and TV programs, too.
Romney has called Trump’s actions regarding Ukraine "deeply troubling." He called Trump’s urging of China to investigate his rival Joe Biden "wrong and appalling."
Those statements prompted several false attacks against Romney. One viral tweet that spread rapidly on Facebook falsely claimed that Romney’s son also worked for a Ukrainian oil company. The goal: sow doubt about Romney’s true intentions for speaking out against Trump.