Dem senator's report warns of Russian meddling across Europe

[DonViejo]

Source: Associated Press




By CHAD DAY and STEPHEN BRAUN

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new report by congressional Democrats warns of deepening Russian interference throughout Europe and concludes that even as some Western democracies have responded with aggressive countermeasures, President Donald Trump has offered no strategic plan to bolster their efforts or safeguard the U.S. from again falling victim to the Kremlin’s systematic meddling.

The report is the first from Congress to comprehensively detail Russian efforts to undermine democracies since the 2016 presidential election. It wastes no time in calling out Trump personally for what it describes as a failure to respond to Russia’s mounting destabilization activities in the U.S. and worldwide. The report was obtained by The Associated Press in advance of its public release Wednesday.

“Never before has a U.S. president so clearly ignored such a grave and growing threat to U.S. national security,” the report warns.

No Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee signed on to the 200-plus page report released by Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, the committee’s top Democrat. But even without GOP backing, the report’s recounting of Russian operations in 19 European nations foreshadows the still-unpublished Senate Intelligence Committee’s bipartisan inquiry into Russia’s role during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Read more: https://apnews.com/af4a789c340d45619357432069447512/Dem-senator%27s-report-warns-of-Russian-meddling-across-Europe

[BigmanPigman]

1. Other countries afore taking this seriously and takes precautions.

The Moron hasn't done a thing at all to protect us in the miderms. The Russian bots are still here and are in action as I write this. The Russian sanctions bill passed both parties in Congress and yet the Moron hasn't even implemented it! This was months ago too.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Reagan told us the Cold War ended and the Soviets fell

but they just became the oligarchs and metastasized

we let our guard down

we've been outplayed

[FakeNoose]

5. Reagan was talking about the USSR

... and they are indeed gone. This is a whole new ballgame with Putin as the umpire, team manager and star pitcher.
Our allies in Europe have been dealing with this new threat for 25 years, while we ignored it all.



Adding link to report here: http://apne.ws/dJu8IWO

[bucolic_frolic]

6. The point being

it's the same characters under a different system. Putin is former KGB. Call it a neo-KGB state, or post-Communist Oligarchs, it's simply that Russia has been ruled by tight, controlling elites for centuries. We should have been wary.

http://www.economist.com/node/9682621

[FakeNoose]

7. Agreed!

It was stupid to turn a deaf ear on our Allies in Europe. They've been dealing with this since the USSR went down.

[erronis]

3. I hope the other countries can be better at protecting themselves

They have a good example of how cyber-warfare can be waged. And there is no reason to think that the perps will stop at any national borders.

This is not, of course, just putine or other "state actors". Cyber-warfare has been engaged in by corporations and packs of lawyers. It also involves espionage (industrial and otherwise), kompromat and blackmail, social media infections, false news and advertising, election fraud, and of course planting a stark raving idiot in the US presidency.

[nocalflea]

4. Haven't read it yet, but Eric Garland has a an interesting highlight thread on twitter.

Link to tweet

?s=17

Link to tweet

?s=17

[riversedge]

8. It is obvious that Congressional Repugs will not do anything to prevent to prevent Russian

interference.

[lagomorph777]

9. Thank you Ben Cardin.

I'd vote for him if I was in MD.