The probe into Russia's interference with the 2016 election [1] continues, including the still-unanswered question of whether President Donald Trump was involved. People are so fascinated, they held viewing parties [2] at bars for James Comey's testimony, and one liquor brand with Russian roots smartly decided to turn the public interest into a clever advertising opportunity. Smirnoff's new ads are popping up, and they read: "Made in America. But we'd be happy to talk about our ties to Russia under oath."
The ad was spotted by Robbie Gramer, a reporter at Foreign Policy, on June 11:
Smirnoff's new ad campaign pic.twitter.com/IPEwbLJFlq [3]
— Robbie Gramer (@RobbieGramer) June 11, 2017 [4]
Smirnoff is owned by Diageo, an alcohol spirits company. Smirnoff was originally founded in 1864 by Piotr Arseneevich Smirnov, a Russian vodka maker [6].
The ads might be relevant for quite a while to come, as the Russia controversy has no end in sight; Attorney General Jeff Sessions [7] is expected to give a public testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee on June 13 [8] about his own ties to Russia.