Tag: 2016 Russian election interference

Confirmed: Trump confidante communicated with Russian intel during election

The following article by Caroline Orr was posted on the ShareBlue.com website March 22, 2018:

It may soon be Roger Stone’s time in the barrel.

Credit: Seth Wenig, AP Photo

Guccifer 2.0, the hacker who claimed responsibility for providing WikiLeaks with a trove of emails hacked from the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 presidential campaign, has been conclusively identified as an officer working out of Russia’s military intelligence agency.

According to The Daily Beast, which reported on the explosive revelation late Thursday, FBI agents were able to identify that Guccifer 2.0 was working out of Russia’s military intelligence agency, GRU, when the hacker failed to activate their virtual private networking (VPN) service.

That seemingly minor slip-up exposed Guccifer 2.0’s IP address as one belonging to a specific GRU officer working out of the agency’s headquarters in Moscow. Continue reading “Confirmed: Trump confidante communicated with Russian intel during election”

‘Off the rails’: House Russia probe hits new low

The following article by Kyle Cheney was posted on the Politico website March 3, 2018:

Some House Republicans want to end their Russia investigation soon, even as Democrats insist many crucial questions about Kremlin meddling remain unanswered.

The House Intelligence Committee was thrown into turmoil last month after Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) orchestrated the public release of a classified memo alleging anti-Trump bias on the part of FBI and Justice Department officials. Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Mistrust, anger and charges of skulduggery between Democrats and Republicans have hobbled the House Intelligence Committee’s Russia investigation for months.

Hope Hicks and a pair of frustrated senators may have finally broken it.

There are new signs that Republicans may soon conclude a probe that Democrats call far from complete following Wednesday’s testimony by President Donald Trump’s confidante, Hicks. Leaks revealed that Hicks had admitted to sometimes telling white lies on Trump’s behalf — a fact that Republicans called an unfair distortion of the departing White House communications director’s testimony. Continue reading “‘Off the rails’: House Russia probe hits new low”

What did Trump know, and when did he know it?

The following article by Philip Bump was posted on the Washington Post website February 26, 2018:

President Trump continues to insist the Democrats are responsible for any story relating to Russian interference in the 2016 election. (Video: Meg Kelly/Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Two things happened over the weekend that complicate our understanding of President Trump’s awareness of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The first is that Trump was interviewed by Fox News’s Jeanine Pirro. She raised the question of collusion — that is, whether elements of the Trump campaign assisted the Russian effort to influence the results of the 2016 election. Continue reading “What did Trump know, and when did he know it?”

Trump Falsely Claims, ‘I Never Said Russia Did Not Meddle’

The following article by Linda Qiu was posted on the New York Times website February 18, 2018:

At the presidential debate in Sept., 2016, Donald Trump said, “I don’t think anybody knows it was Russia that broke into the DNC.” Credit: Damon Winter/The New York Times

WASHINGTON — President Trump falsely claimed in an early Sunday morning Twitter post that he had never rejected the notion that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

“I never said Russia did not meddle in the election, I said ‘it may be Russia, or China or another country or group, or it may be a 400 pound genius sitting in bed and playing with his computer,’” Mr. Trump wrote. “The Russian ‘hoax’ was that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia – it never did! Continue reading “Trump Falsely Claims, ‘I Never Said Russia Did Not Meddle’”

Schiff: Trump ‘claims vindication anytime someone sneezes’

The following article by Cristiano Lima was posted on the Politico website February 18, 2018:

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) called on President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Russia passed by Congress in response to Russians’ 2016 election meddling. Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Rep. Adam Schiff jabbed President Donald Trump on Sunday for citing the indictment by special counsel Robert Mueller’s team in its probe of Russian election meddling as proof his campaign had not colluded with foreign operatives.

During an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” the California Democrat was asked whether he felt the indictment by Mueller proved that Trump campaign officials had not colluded with Russia, as the president has suggested on Twitter.

“No, of course not,” Schiff replied. “But this is a president who claims vindication anytime someone sneezes.” Continue reading “Schiff: Trump ‘claims vindication anytime someone sneezes’”

George W. Bush: There’s clear evidence Russia meddled in U.S. election

The following article by Kristine Phillips was posted on the Washington Post website February 8, 2019:

During a Feb. 8 speech, former president George W. Bush said “there’s pretty clear evidence that the Russians meddled” in the 2016 U.S presidential election. (Associated Press)

Former president George W. Bush said he believes Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, departing from President Trump, who has been skeptical of intelligence agencies’ findings that the Kremlin had interfered to help him win.

“There’s pretty clear evidence that the Russians meddled. Whether they affected the outcome is another question,” the 43rd president said at a conference in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. He added: “It’s problematic that a foreign nation is involved in our election system. Our democracy is only as good as people trust the results.” Continue reading “George W. Bush: There’s clear evidence Russia meddled in U.S. election”

Rex Tillerson Says Russia Is Already Trying To Meddle In 2018 Midterms

The following article by Dominique Mosbergen was posted on the Huffington Post website February 7, 2018:

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned this week that Russia is already trying to meddle in the 2018 midterm elections. And the U.S. is inadequately prepared to counter that threat, he said.

Speaking to Fox News from Colombia on Tuesday, Tillerson said the U.S. has seen “certain behaviors” from Russia that could imply meddling ahead of multiple international elections, including the U.S. midterms.

Continue reading “Rex Tillerson Says Russia Is Already Trying To Meddle In 2018 Midterms”

Russians penetrated U.S. voter systems, says top U.S. official

The following article by Cynthia McFadden, William M. Arkin and Kevin Monahan was posted on the NBC News website February 7, 2017:

The U.S. official in charge of protecting American elections from hacking says the Russians successfully penetrated the voter registration rolls of several U.S. states prior to the 2016 presidential election.

In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Jeanette Manfra, the head of cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security, said she couldn’t talk about classified information publicly, but in 2016, “We saw a targeting of 21 states and an exceptionally small number of them were actually successfully penetrated.” Continue reading “Russians penetrated U.S. voter systems, says top U.S. official”

U.S. ‘taking steps’ to prevent future Russian election interference, Haley says

The following article by Mike DeBonis and Carol Morello was posted on the Washington Post website February 1, 2018:

Pres. Trump, left, with US UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, lunch with the UN Security Council in the White House in Washington Jan. 29, 2018. Credit: Andrew Harnik/AP

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, renewed her attacks on Russia in a speech delivered Thursday to Republican lawmakers as the investigation into President Trump’s campaign reached a new level of intensity.

Haley directly acknowledged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, calling it “outrageous” and saying the Trump administration is “taking steps” to prevent a repetition. She also said the Trump administration has been “tougher on Russia than any American administration since Ronald Reagan,” even after the White House took a pass this week on imposing additional sanctions that Congress had requested. Continue reading “U.S. ‘taking steps’ to prevent future Russian election interference, Haley says”

The memo, the dossier and the political weaponization of misinformation

The following article by Aaron Blake was posted on the Washington Post website February 2, 2018:

The Russia probe got its start with a drunken conversation, an ex-spy, WikiLeaks and a distracted FBI. (Meg Kelly/The Washington Post)

There are few things that warm the cockles of President Trump’s most ardent opponents like the Steele dossier. Right there on paper is the alleged Russia conspiracy they had convinced themselves existed, complete with salacious scenes from Russian hotel rooms and shadowy meetings between Trump allies and Russian officials.

But as we’re finding out this week, while spreading unverified information that conforms to your preexisting beliefs may be cathartic, it can also be weaponized against you. And that is exactly what’s happening with the impending release of the Nunes memo. Continue reading “The memo, the dossier and the political weaponization of misinformation”