Putin's full-scale information war got a key assist from Donald Trump and right-wing media

[Nevilledog]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/03/06/putin-information-war-trump/

No paywall
https://archive.ph/r5KA3

The former presidential adviser and Russia expert Fiona Hill made headlines last week when she stated bluntly in a Politico interview that Vladimir Putin would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons.
But it was another part of that long interview that I found almost as arresting. Hill described how Putin, as he reaches for domination, relies heavily on his skills at the influence-and-information game.

“What happens in a Russian ‘all-of-society’ war, you soften up the enemy,” she told her interviewer, Maura Reynolds. Hill named some names: “You get the Tucker Carlsons and Donald Trumps doing your job for you.”

And now, after a few years of their apologetic rhetoric on behalf of Russia, Putin “has got swaths of the Republican Party” and “masses of the U.S. public saying ‘Good on you, Vladimir Putin,’ or blaming NATO, or blaming the U.S.” for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, she added.

It was quite an indictment from a well-respected intelligence officer, who worked in both Republican and Democratic administrations. She became known to the American public for her unsparing analysis when she testified during Trump’s first impeachment hearings.

*snip*

[nebby70]

1. not sure if this info makes me more or less comfortable...

... it's good to know I've not lost my mind when I see this stuff correctly as a psych-ops ....
... it's depressing to know such evil manipulation is happening with such ease on so many ...
... I may soon hyperventilate from so many deep sighs...

[agingdem]

2. So the party of the vile Joseph McCarthy

and his obscene hunt for imbedded Russian agents (commies) is now the party OF imbedded Russian government agents?…ok, got it!