Midterms are in Putin's crosshairs, ex-spy chief says
By Josh Meyer at Politico
https://www.politico.com/amp/story/2018/05/23/midterms-putin-russia-meddling-606330?__twitter_impression=true
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Clapper, 77, says he thinks the Kremlin, led personally by Putin, is already engaged in an ongoing and active influence effort that is even more elaborate than the one he believes was used during the 2016 campaign to swing the election. That’s based on his years of government service at the highest echelons of the security apparatus, he said in the interview, as well as information he has learned since leaving office Jan. 20, 2017, the day Trump was sworn in as president.
“I have no doubt that they are doing that now, and I think they’re going to do it in ways that are more subtle and harder to detect,” Clapper said of the Russian meddling effort. “I’m sure they went to school to critique what they did in the presidential election in 2016. I think they will find more ways to be subtle, and be a lot less noisy than they were the last time.”
This time, he added, “I think some of the competition among the intelligence services will be moderated.” For Russia, that would be a big improvement over 2016, when its various security agencies — and hacker groups known by nicknames such as Fancy Bear and Cozy Bear — were deployed.
In the book, the veteran spook — and son of an intelligence officer — provides previously undisclosed detail about his lead role in the frenzied U.S. effort to stop the Kremlin influence campaign from changing the outcome of the presidential race. Administration officials also had to do that, he said, without creating concerns that President Barack Obama was trying to help the Democratic nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
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