Zero Hedge:
Update: We have a fourth Trump attack story as MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow claims that “someone is shopping a carefully forged, fairly convincing fake NSA document” to news organizations pointing to Trump campaign collusion with Russia… “we don’t know who is doing it but we’re wroking on it.”
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It’s been relatively quiet in the last few weeks on the “the Russians did it, and Trump’s Putin’s best-buddy” propaganda-fest, but it appears the Deep State had three stories tonight – just hours ahead of Trump’s face-to-face with Putin – claim Russian hackers are targeting US nuclear facilities, the Russians are nonchalantly stepping up their spying, and that Russia alone interfered with the US election.
With all eyes on the ‘handshake’ as Putin and Trump come face-to-face for the first time as world leaders, it seems the Deep State is desperately fearful of some rapprochement, crushing the need for NATO, and destroying the excuses for massive, unprecedented military-industrial complex spending.
And so, three stories (2 anonymously sourced and one with no facts behind it) in The New York Times (who recently retracted their “17 intelligence agencies” lie) and CNN (where do we start with these guys? let’s just go with full retraction of an anonymously sourced lie about Scaramucci and Kushner and the Russians) should stir up enough angst to ensure the meeting is at best awkward and at worst a lose-lose for Trump (at least in the eyes of the media).
First off we have the ‘news’ that hackers have reportedly been breaking into computer networks of companies operating United States nuclear power stations, energy facilities and manufacturing plants, according to a new report by The New York Times.
The origins of the hackers are not known. But the report indicated that an “advanced persistent threat” actorwas responsible, which is the language security specialists often use to describe hackers backed by governments.
The two people familiar with the investigation say that, while it is still in its early stages, the hackers’ techniques mimicked those of the organization known to cybersecurity specialists as “Energetic Bear,” the Russian hacking group that researchers have tied to attacks on the energy sector since at least 2012.
And Bloomberg piled on…
The chief suspect is Russia, according to three people familiar with the continuing effort to eject the hackers from the computer networks.
So that’s that 5 people – who know something – suspect it was the Russians that are hacking US nuclear facilities (but there’s no proof).
Next we move to CNN who claim a ‘current and former U.S. intelligence officials’ told them that Russian spies have been stepping up their intelligence gathering efforts in the U.S. since the election, feeling emboldened by the lack of significant U.S. response to Russian election meddling.
“Russians have maintained an aggressive collection posture in the US, and their success in election meddling has not deterred them,” said a former senior intelligence official familiar with Trump administration efforts.
“The concerning point with Russia is the volume of people that are coming to the US. They have a lot more intelligence officers in the US” compared to what they have in other countries, one of the former intelligence officials says.
But, according to Steve Hall, retired CIA chief of operations, the Russians could also be seeking more information on Trump’s administration, which is new and still unpredictable to Moscow
“Whenever there is a deterioration of relations between countries — the espionage and intelligence collection part becomes that much more important as they try to determine the plans and intentions of the adversarial government,”
So that’s more anonymous sourcing about Russian spies… doing what they would normally do during a presidential transition.
And so finally, a third story – with CNN trotting out former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, to pin the ‘Russians did it’ tail on the “this is why we lost the election” donkey…
A-Mess-NBC i suggest that Racheal Maddow check in to the head shrink she is going more nuttier then a forests full of oak trees loaded with acorns a banquit for squrrels
The “Deep State” seems to include anyone in government who puts their loyalty to the the nation and dedication to the work they’re entrusted to do for its people ahead of personal loyalty to Donald John Trump.
Vladimir Putin is a geopolitical adversary of the United States and Western Europe. He wanted Trump to be President rather than Clinton, and mounted an ambitious clandestine effort to try to make that happen. What do you not understand about this? If you do understand it, why are you OK with it?
http://lifeadvicebook.com/top-psychiatrist-trump-not-crazy/
@Greg:
Just curious Greg. Do you think if Putin wanted Trump to be the president of the US that it was illegal for him to work to make that happen?
Do you think if Obama wanted Hillary to be the president of the US that it was illegal for him to work to make that happen?
Strange as it may seem, in the first case above, that is legal and in the 2nd case above, that is illegal.
You mean by hacking multiple state voter registration databases, stealing and distributing classified material, engaging in secret negotiations with foreign powers… Stuff like that? That would be illegal.
The reprehensible is sometimes perfectly legal, as Trump’s business career demonstrates. But not always. Russian election meddling clearly involved some illegal acts. Some of the interactions between high-placed Trump campaign figures and foreign officials may also have been illegal. That remains to be determined.
Obama was fully conscious of that, and conscientiously constrained in his exercise of Executive Office powers by it. Yet the right is now attacking him for not being forceful enough when Russian election meddling was discovered—while simultaneously opining that the Russians might not have been meddling at all. That’s a bit inconsistent, isn’t it? Which is a bit of an understatement.
@Greg:
Obviously you’re confusing the Trump and Clinton campaigns. It is not Putin’s responsibility to maintain the integrity of US Election systems.
It was the Obozo’s meddling in the election that has you confused. He is the one doing multiple actually ‘illegal’ things to interfere with the election.
@Greg:
Are you actually admitting that you know that Obama knew that Russia was meddling in the US election and that he didn’t do anything about it, because he fully expected it to result in a Hillary win? I’m surprised you admit that. You do know that the Dumbocraps are still pretending that they didn’t know, at the time, that the Russians were attempting to help HIllary win. Of course they did and they didn’t care either because they expected that it would only help Hillary. When it didn’t help her, they were stunned and think it helped Trump. Well actually, if the American people think that Hillary was working with Putin then they certainly would vote against her, which they did. Dumbocraps just don’t recognize reality.
@Greg:
So, individuals get to decide who to be loyal to, despite any oaths they have taken, and are patriots when they leak information or lie to damage the administration? No wonder you leftists still voted for Hillary after she exposed national security to anyone that wanted to look; national security means nothing to liberals.
Isn’t the ’80’s calling for their foreign policy back, Greg? NOW Russia is an adversary again? You people are so sickeningly hypocritical.
@Greg:
Why?
Obama knew this was happening in August, 2016. I wonder why he didn’t do ANYTHING to prevent it? Why did the DNC refuse help to guard against it? And, the old question that just won’t go away, WHAT did it affect?
@Redteam: You do know that the Dumbocraps are still pretending that they didn’t know, at the time, that the Russians were attempting to help HIllary win.
@Greg:
No, he didn’t.
Why you OK with this hysterical lie?
Do you actually believe this, as if you’re a country bumpkin inbred moron? They can sell the uneducated ilk of the population anything they want, it seems.
For years HRC badmouthed Putin and worked for his removal like Mubarek and Ghadaffi–Putin hatted her for this.
He saw Trump as a fellow egotistical Nationalist following up his make Russia great again slogan.
He did all he could to beat. HRC Common sense.
@Rich Wheeler:
I’ve never seen her wearing a hat from Putin.
This was brought up long ago; Obama and Hillary interfered with elections all around the world so Russia (and others) made a statement that those in glass houses should not throw stones, for your own house if pretty vulnerable. The main point… YOUR main point, that Putin and Trump acted hand in hand to illegal affect the election, never had a foundation other than one of wishful thinking and wanting to get a lie to gain enough traction to destroy a legal election.
Trump, against the predictions by the left (batting a 1000 there; always wrong) confronted Putin with the election interference and began a dialogue to end collateral interference. He also got a cease fire agreement in Syria. He also made a STRONG STATEMENT in support of NATO and defense of the west against all threats. Trump transmits strength and determination while Obama telegraphed weakness and surrender. The contrast could NOT be greater.
Why would Putin want a strong nationalist in charge of America? Doesn’t that sound a bit counter-intuitive? He would be far better off with the corrupt, greedy and incompetent Hillary in office, and he could exact far more revenge against her by exposing information he had collected on her via her secret, private, unsecured, illegal server. Putin could WRECK the US government with Hillary in charge by completely paralyzing the government with a steady flow of Hillary corruption evidence.
Of course, he got that asset anyway with the aid and assistance of the whiny, crybaby, sore loser, spoiled brat Democrats.