Nielsen: 'I Haven't Seen Evidence' That Russians Hacked Election To Help Trump

[DonViejo]

Source: Talking Points Memo



By Kate Riga | July 19, 2018 12:42 pm

In a remarkable break with U.S. intelligence agencies, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen insisted Thursday that there was no evidence that Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. election with the express purpose of helping then-candidate Donald Trump win.

At first, Nielsen distinguished between efforts targeted at election infrastructure in the U.S. and other attempts to meddle. “I haven’t seen any evidence that the attempts to interfere in our election infrastructure was to favor a particular political party,” she said at the Aspen Institute’s Security Forum in Colorado. “I think what we’ve seen on the foreign influence side is they were attempting to intervene and cause chaos on both sides.”

She also mentioned that Russia continued to sow discord after Trump’s election, citing activity related to the white nationalist rally and attack on counter-protesters in Charlottesville, after which Trump blamed “both sides.”

When pushed about intelligence agencies’ findings—in three separate assessments from the intelligence community, Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the Senate Intelligence Committee—that the Russians definitively did hack the election to help Trump win, Nielsen danced around the issue and would not name Trump himself.



Read more: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/nielsen-i-havent-seen-evidence-that-russians-hacked-election-to-help-trump

[Nero Mero]

1. All agencies concluded he did

She's protecting her boss.

[24601]

25. I'm posting a link to the Primary Source - Intelligence Community Assessment 2017-010

https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/ICA_2017_01.pdf

I've kept my paper copy for the last 18 months and note that the online version has not been changed.

A few things should be clarified. I'll quote the document verbatim and my comments will follow in brackets. The assessment is a government document with no copyright; therefore, there should be no fair-use limitation. Friday's indictments appear consistent with assessment of GRU involvement (pages ii & iii). The assessment is about 25 pages and is an easy read.


Scope (page i)

"This report includes an analytic assessment drafted and coordinated among The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and The National Security Agency (NSA), which draws on intelligence information collected and disseminated by those three agencies."

[It was misunderstood and reported widely that this was an unanimous assessment by the entire 17-member Intelligence Community. There was an additional non-intelligence assessment by DHS; however, it was not from either DHS' IC elements, their Office of Intelligence and Analysis or from Coast Guard Intelligence.]

"We did not make an assessment of the impact that Russian activities had on the outcome of the 2016 election. The US Intelligence Community is charged with monitoring and assessing the intentions, capabilities, and actions of foreign actors; it does not analyze US political processes or US public opinion."

[No additional comment]


Key Judgments (page ii)

"We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election. Russia’s goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump. We have high confidence in these judgments."

"We also assess Putin and the Russian Government aspired to help President-elect Trump’s election chances when possible by discrediting Secretary Clinton and publicly contrasting her unfavorably to him. All three agencies agree with this judgment. CIA and FBI have high confidence in this judgment; NSA has moderate confidence.

"Moscow’s approach evolved over the course of the campaign based on Russia’s understanding of the electoral prospects of the two main candidates. When it appeared to Moscow that Secretary Clinton was likely to win the election, the Russian influence campaign began to focus more on undermining her future presidency."

"Further information has come to light since Election Day that, when combined with Russian behavior since early November 2016, increases our confidence in our assessments of Russian motivations and goals."

[I believe that NSA's differing confidence is why aspiring to help Trump was not included as Russian Goal in which the first judgment. NSA had moderate confidence, defined in Annex B on page 13 as credibly sourced and plausable. Information cutoff was 29 December 2017.] ]


Key Judgments (page iii)

"Russian intelligence obtained and maintained access to elements of multiple US state or local electoral boards. DHS assesses that the types of systems Russian actors targeted or compromised were not involved in vote tallying."

"We assess Moscow will apply lessons learned from its Putin-ordered campaign aimed at the US presidential election to future influence efforts worldwide, including against US allies and their election processes."

[No additional comment]

[SWBTATTReg]

2. Party first, country last...

This is the only thing rump's cronies know by now.

[dalton99a]

3. Helsinki:

REPORTER (Jeff Mason from Reuters): President Putin, did you want President Trump to win the election and did you direct any of your officials to help him do that?

PUTIN: Yes, I did. Yes, I did. Because he talked about bringing the US/Russia relationship back to normal.

[lagomorph777]

19. "Yes I did want Trump to win and yes I did direct officials to help him."

End of story.

[madamesilverspurs]

4. Ye gods.

She makes idiots look smart.


.

[RandomAccess]

24. She's plenty smart -- but what she can't hide is her cruelty

I've been trying to figure out who she reminds me of from history, and I can't quite. But then I'm history-challenged, so there's that.

Possibly Eva Braun. Think if she'd been not a consort but an appointee. I don't think that's a perfect analogy, but --- like I said, I'm coming up empty with the right one.

One thing for sure: SHE IS COMPLICIT as hell in the crimes against humanity of the Trump administration at the border.

[dweller]

5. yeh, and she didn't see immigrant children in cages either

😑

[JDC]

6. Liar!

[mpcamb]

28. Frog walk her to jail. If she hasn't seen any- dereliction of duty. Otherwise out and out treason.

[Arkansas Granny]

7. Hey, Secretary Nielsen.

[dbackjon]

8. Another Traitor

Gitmo will be full of Trump associates

[bettyellen]

9. "Both sides" is cover for it was all anti-Hillary including some phony Bernie supporters. Admit it,

MSM... and admit you were taken in by these phonies.

[PearliePoo2]

10. Read the IC reports then resign in disgrace you sycophantic piece of shit.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

11. She must be desperate to keep her job.

[PaulX2]

12. I Haven't Seen Evidence Kirstjen Nielsen Has A Working Brain And Is Not A Russian Agent

Speaking of evidence.

[Marthe48]

13. Traitor

Traitor. Traitor. Traitor.

[2naSalit]

23. Yup, yup, yup!

[Marthe48]

14. Get yr head out his lap

Or out of your ass. She had to be hand-picked by putin.

[colorado_ufo]

15. What is she bucking for, to be the fourth Mrs. Trump? Or Putin's next girlfriend?

She's not smart enough to be considered for any government position higher than what she has.

If she won't believe her lyin' eyes, maybe she will believe Putin - he admitted it on international television!

And she won't acknowledge her contribution to putting little children in cages, separated from parents abruptly, with the barest minimal treatment and care.

Loathsome woman.

[Le Gaucher]

16. That is cue for Assholes like Sean Hannity and Mark Levin to talk about the whole thing being a hoax

[matt819]

17. What a coward

"I haven't seen evidence" is not an answer. Just because you haven't seen the evidence doesn't mean that it's not true.

And if you've seen the evidence and you are saying this, you are a liar.

And if you've seen the evidence but don't believe it, you're a fool.

[kimbutgar]

18. Maybe she hasn't seen it because those true patriots in the ingelligence agencies knows

She is a Twitler stooge who will run to him and Nunes and show them what they have. I think she is purposely being kept out the loop.

[LanternWaste]

20. Then she's either lying...

or consciously ignoring that which exists and in doing so, miserably failing the duties and obligations of her position.

[Saguaro]

21. It was in the news last Friday.

Perhaps she missed that.

[world wide wally]

22. Mueller is saving the definitive evidence for the trial

Till then, you have to use your brain just a little bit

[DarthDem]

26. Take off the Blindfold, Kirstjen!

Geez.

[BadGimp]

27. #PutinsWinsAgain and the GOP is now The #PartyOfPutin

[riversedge]

29. It is under your nose you idiot

[area51]

30. Well of course you won't have seen it ...

... if you keep your eyes closed.