Monday, September 5, 2016

Is There A Covert Russian Intelligence Operation To Influence The U.S. Election?

Reuters

Washington Post: Intelligence community investigating covert Russian influence operations in the United States

U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies are probing what they see as a broad covert Russian operation in the United States to sow public distrust in the upcoming presidential election and in U.S. political institutions, intelligence and congressional officials said.

The aim is to understand the scope and intent of the Russian campaign, which incorporates cyber-tools to hack systems used in the political process, enhancing Russia’s ability to spread disinformation.

The effort to better understand Russia’s covert influence operations is being spearheaded by James R. Clapper Jr., the director of national intelligence. “This is something of concern for the DNI,” said Charles Allen, a former longtime CIA officer who has been briefed on some of these issues. “It is being addressed.”

Read more ....

Update: New clues link election hacks in U.S. to Russian intelligence (Michael Isikoff, Yahoo News)

WNU editor: The only way that Russian intelligence can seriously influence the U.S. election is if it provides and/or leaks embarrassing information on a candidate or on a political party to the media ... which in my book is something that I see as a public service to the American voter on who they are voting for. Otherwise .... Russian intelligence influence on this election will be incredibly limited .... if not non-existent.

6 comments:

RussInSoCal said...

I think its a forgone conclusion that Putin is meddling in the US election. And I don't think he particularly cares who the next POTUS is. I think the driver for Putin is his total contempt for Obama. Putin despises him in every sense of the word. What better insult to Obama other than to tilt the US election to Trump. Maybe Putin will get around to outing GOP officials, but right now the efforts are targeted only at the Dems. Specifically HRC.

James said...

I would think that if a Hillary Administration would be a continuation of an Obama Administration, Putin would prefer Clinton to be President.

Hope for the West said...

If the timing of the DNC emails wasn't an attempt to influence the US election, I don't know what is. I fully expect Hillary's damning emails or something else to drop before November. Is that a service to the US voter? I think transparency is a service yes, however I think Trump's foreign policy might end up being more disastrous than any candidate in the last 50 years. Good for Russia to have a "useful idiot" in the White House than a president that is feeble but adversarial to Russian interests.

Jac said...

Which country never try to "curb" any election for their own profit?

Anonymous said...

Still, how could Russia, or any other country infulence the election without information ammunition. It appears that HRC and DNC provided that info themselves, ironically, by trying to evade US laws and security policies/regulations. Never stop your enemy when they are making a mistake.

Anonymous said...

Obama bi laden tried to influence the Israeli elections. ....he shouldn't cry like a baby now!