How Trump Made Russia's Hacking More Effective

[malaise]

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/12/how-trump-made-russias-hacking-more-effective/511880/
<snip>
“It’s all just an attempt to delegitimize Donald Trump.” That’s the argument you hear from Trump supporters each time new information comes to light about how hard Russian spy services worked to damage Hillary Clinton. You heard it again on Thursday.

The Trump supporters are 100 percent right: The information is delegitimizing. The president-elect of the United States reportedly owes his office in considerable part to illegal clandestine activities in his favor conducted by a hostile, foreign spy service. It’s hard to imagine a crisis of presidential legitimacy more extreme than that. But that’s no argument against airing this information. It’s precisely why the information must be aired.

Vladimir Putin took a fearful risk. If the Electoral College had taken a slightly different bounce on November 8, Putin would now be facing an enraged President-elect Hillary Clinton. Putin had every reason to expect that he probably would end up facing a President Clinton. Yet he took the gamble anyway, apparently doing something none of his Soviet predecessors had ever dared to do: mount a clandestine espionage and disinformation campaign on behalf of one candidate for U.S. president, and against another.

Without Trump’s own willingness to make false claims and misuse Russian-provided information, the Wikileaks material would have deflated of its own boringness. The Russian-hacked material did damage because, and only because, Russia found a willing accomplice in the person of Donald J. Trump.

Over Trump’s motives for collaborating so full-throatedly with Russian espionage, there hangs a greater and more disturbing mystery—a mystery that Trump seems in no hurry to dispel. And maybe he is wise to leave the mystery in place: as delegitimizing as it is, it’s very possible the truth would be even worse.

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Never forget he publicly asked Russia to hack Hillary Clinton's emails - it's as if he knew what was going on

[Mc Mike]

1. Just asking the Russians publicly to hack his opponent "normalized" and "legitimized" both

the espionage and treason, in his fans' minds. Because if he did it publicly, and didn't get punished for it, obviously he "did nothing wrong". And his fans thought dRump's attack was great, and understood the idea dRumpf and the repugs were conveying, Russia = ally, American Dems = enemy.

[B C Butler]

2. Not my president

Impeach

[kairos12]

15. Not my Czar either.

[Madam45for2923]

3. Coupled with the media.

I think the Media would have screamed foul if the Russian hacking was on the GOP not the DEms. They would have asked for HRC to be investigated for treason.

[whathehell]

4. Exactly....I found it strange that they just let that "pass"

with no repercussions at all.

They would have crucified Hillary if she did that, and everyone knows it.

[LaydeeBug]

19. They let that pass...where is Melania's speechwriter? nt

[whathehell]

20. Sorry, but I don't understand

how the two are related. I'm not sure what you're trying to say.

[LaydeeBug]

21. I am trying to say that they let a LOT "pass" while propping up Russian Propaganda

[whathehell]

28. Gotcha.

Thanks.

[malaise]

6. +1,000

Imagine if HRC had asked a foreign government to hack ReTHUGs

[lancelyons]

17. One of the scary things about all this..

One of the scary things about all this is that Trump has done so many bad things that if he just keeps up the same level of bad things, hes OK. He he reduces down to several bad things per month, he is a Saint.

We have seen this guy get elected with hundred of negative things he has done or said. What is another 1 or 2 of these?

[malaise]

25. It's frightening

That's why I'm really worried about fascism Welcome to DU

[JHan]

8. Problem is by that time, Trump said so many ridiculous things it was one other ridiculous thing..

in a long line of ridiculous things.

They never held him to a high standard, graded him on a curve, didn't treat seriously with his words and now he won't be truly accountable for anything he says - it'll be excused away as Trump not knowing what he's saying, or not being a career politician, or ignorance, even if he knows full well what he's doing.

We're in a for a time.

[SammyWinstonJack]

12. 24/7 news cycle, it's all we'd have heard.

[Vinca]

5. And somehow Manafort was instrumental in all of this.

[malaise]

7. Yep

big time

[Turbineguy]

9. Trump needs to register

as an agent of a foreign power.

[Botany]

10. How many "Trump People" went back and forth to Russia?

Trump had a computer in his HQ that went to a bank in the Ukraine and then
onto Putin.

Ivanka Trump went to Croatia and hung out w/Putin's girlfriend.

Good God in butter this was a coup.

[paleotn]

13. Your last sentence....

is the most accurate and succinct description of '16 I've seen so far.

[malaise]

23. T is for

Treason Happy 2017!

[malaise]

31. More than we thought

[rtracey]

11. yeah

Yeah, last night Fuckump says he knows a lot about hacking, because he is the biggest fucking hack there is....

[NewJeffCT]

14. If it wasn't for the media, nobody would have cared

wikileaks had released allegedly hacked emails from others before and it typically went over like the proverbial lead balloon - it was in the news one day, and then it was gone and nobody really cared and it was only rarely that anything happened.

However, with Clinton, it was suddenly the top story in the world, nothing else mattered. Every other story was relegated to the backburner, no matter how much actual Trump corruption was proven.

[malaise]

24. Yes indeed

Truth will out

[66 dmhlt]

16. "Lots of people are saying ..."

That Putin has tons of delicious dirt on Donald, and that's why Trump is Vlad's marionette.
I don't know for sure, but that's what lots of people are saying.

(Might as well use Trump's own tactics on him - but this one has the ring of truth to it.)

[LaydeeBug]

18. Kick and r and to add the video of Trump committing Treason

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/28/us/politics/donald-trump-russia-clinton-emails.html?_r=0

[malaise]

22. Thanks for that

Happy New Year

[smirkymonkey]

26. "De-legitimize" Donald Trump?

When on earth was he ever "legitimate" in the first place?

[malaise]

27. It's actually hilarious how he went out of his way to De-legitimize Obama

with lies - truth will out this time around

[LaydeeBug]

29. kick.

[malaise]

30. Truth will out

[LaydeeBug]

32. Just as I remember all too clearly those bullies, I will never forget who stood with me

when I felt like I was standing alone. I. will. never. forget. that.

[malaise]

33. +1,000