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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDavid Corn: Mueller's Latest Indictment Shows Trump Has Helped Putin Cover Up a Crime
Last edited Fri Feb 16, 2018, 10:49 PM - Edit history (1)
By continuing to cast doubt on Russian involvement, the president is helping the Kremlin get away with its election attack.
David Corn Feb. 16, 2018 4:15 PM
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/02/muellers-latest-indictment-shows-trump-has-helped-putin-cover-up-a-crime/
People forgot. Special counsel Robert Mueller was not only focused on investigating interactions between Trump world and the Russians; he was tasked with digging into Vladimir Putins attack on the 2016 election. And on Friday afternoon, he announced the indictment of 13 Russian nationals for interfering with the presidential campaign. The indictment focused on the Internet Research Agency, a Kremlin-linked outfit based in St. Petersburg, where hundreds of trolls were paid to disseminate false information and propaganda on American social media to influence the election. The document noted that IRA trolls posted derogatory information about a number of candidates and its operations included supporting the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald J. Trump and disparaging Clinton.
Here is yet more proof, not that any was needed, that Russia meddled in the election to benefit Trumpand that Trumps continued denial or downplaying of Putins intervention is nothing but bunk. The indictment is a reminder that Trump won a tainted election, in which he was assisted by Russian skullduggeryand that he has refused to come to terms with that.
This indictment only covers one part of the information warfare unleashed by Russia against American democracy two years ago. Roughly speaking, Moscows attack had three components: the social media assault, the hack-and-dump operation targeting Democrats, and the penetration of state voting systems. Each had the potential to undermine the election and cause discord or even chaos. The social media attack went largely unnoticed during the campaign, as Russian trolls and bots infiltrated Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and other platforms to spread and amplify messages designed to fuel political divisions within the United States and, in many instances, to boost Trump. They bought ads on Facebook that assailed Clinton. They set up fake Facebook pages that organized and promoted real-life pro-Trump or anti-Clinton rallies in the United States. Facebook and Twitter only grudgingly acknowledged last year that they had been exploited by Russias cyber operatives, whose work complemented the social media efforts of the Trump campaign. And the Internet Research Agency, the target of Muellers indictment, was a center of this clandestine online activity.
The other two cyber battlefronts were recognized during the campaign. Hackers associated with Russian intelligence agencies swiped emails and documents from Democratsmost notably, the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and John Podesta, the CEO of Hillary Clintons campaignand the material was released via WikiLeaks and other websites. This operation, the US intelligence community concluded, was mounted by Moscow and designed to foment disorder and to help Trump. At the same time, Russia-connected hackers in the summer of 2016 probed the election systems of many states, in limited cases swiping data. This action was detected, and US officials became concerned that Moscow might try to screw with the voting or tallying process on Election Day. The concern was not so much that Russia would alter results to help Trump or any other favored candidate but that Putins spooks would cause problemssay, messing with voter registration data basesthat would prompt questions about the accuracy of the vote count and trigger political upheaval no matter which candidate won. This was deemed such a serious worry that President Barack Obama directly told Putin to knock it off.
WestIndianArchie
(386 posts)The trolls that disseminated this fake news should be arrested and charged as well, witting or unwitting makes no difference
Gabi Hayes
(28,795 posts)HE colluded on Russia, not my president!!!
flibbitygiblets
(7,220 posts)Whenever he gets caught doing something horrific, it's just because he's new at this presidenting thing!
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)about to blow Trump out of the Water.
rock
(13,218 posts)Shows that when he sweats you can see how thin his hair is and see his scalp (his hair goes limp and stringy). He really should have gone for a wig a long time ago.
mr_lebowski
(33,643 posts)'Indicted for Interference in Presidential Campaign'?
Is that an actual Statute that's written down somewhere?
If not, what's the real/actual CHARGE? Spreading propaganda to help/hurt POTUS candidates is not AFAIK, technically 'illegal' is it? Or is it illegal simply by virtue of their being 'foreign actors'?
Would've REALLY liked to see some serious like, illegal hacking, laundering, wire fraud, tax evasion, illegal donations/campaign finance violation charges ... hopefully that'll happen to some Americans (coughtrumpcough)
When I read 13 Russians INDICTED ... I thought some Russians were actually going to go to jail for some semblance of a serious crime. At worst these people won't be allowed into the USA and maybe have funds frozen. They won't, like, not be able to leave Russia without CIA/Interpol looking for 'em to arrest them or some shit.
If it's just 'foreign interference in elections' this is like ... small potatoes. Though at least it's probably a 'set up' for much more serious charges upon US actors.
getagrip_already
(14,816 posts)It was something along the lines of conspiracy to defraud the USA. And yes, defrauding is a felony.
FakeNoose
(32,705 posts)There are definitely crimes committed - foreign money contributed to GOP campaigns is a major one. But these indictments aren't about the money yet. I'm willing to wait because I trust that Robert Mueller has a plan for all of this.
dweller
(23,648 posts)is there more?
Farmer-Rick
(10,197 posts)A few bucks off of it
stevepal
(109 posts)These beautiful machines, completely invulnerable, impenetrable, all-wise.
How could anybody hack or maliciously program such beautiful machines? Who has ever seen anybody do such a thing?
Therefore, the simple solution to the threat (which of course is actually nonexistent) some have said (but wrongly) is merely to rely on hand-counted paper ballots. This would in the long run be far cheaper, of course, than relying on machines to do the highly demanding and confusing process of "addition." But when you have such a beautiful device at the ready, why rely on actual people to do the adding?