LA Times: Some right-wing media sites under investigation for possible Russia ties

[Botany]

Here are today’s headlines:

FBI’s Russian-influence probe includes a look at Breitbart, InfoWars news sites (McClatchy)

snip

But this report focuses on the FBI looking into right-wing websites like Breitbart and InfoWars to see if they played any role last year in a Russian cyber operation that dramatically widened the reach of news stories that favored Trump’s presidential bid.

In recent months, intelligence officials have confirmed that Russia did seek to influence the 2016 election by, among other things, hacking into emails at the Democratic National Committee.

McClatchy, citing anonymous sources, reports “operatives for Russia appear to have strategically timed the computer commands, known as ‘bots,’ to blitz social media with links to the pro-Trump stories.”


http://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-some-right-wing-sites-under-1490115530-htmlstory.html

[malaise]

1. What about those from racists in other countries

like the one where Dylan Roof and others spread their hate, their photos and their racism.

[Ninga]

2. Please, please, please, please! A million times please!

Please some justice, please some truth, please some enforcement. Please jail time!

[Botany]

5. Follow the money

Was Russia/Putin/Mobsters supporting the right wing sites? In order to
get Trump's low information supporters all fired up and ready to
chant, "Lock her up."

It was a coup and we had treason.

[Ninga]

7. I think I am becoming ill over all of this. I need some real, proven, documented

and factual news, so big and so consequential, that every newspaper runs the headline the same day.

I know the likelihood is possible....but is it probable?

[FarPoint]

3. I believe DU Administers...

Could give them an accurate list...Or any of our long term DU'ers could as well. ..

[gibraltar72]

4. Fox

will get right on this!

[L. Coyote]

6. Perhaps "operatives in Russia" should be used instead of operatives for Russia.

Very different threshold of proof. We must consider the possibility that Trump's campaign was controlling operations in Russia, such as a troll army and bots. Who paid the bills? Rosneft? The billionaire mafia? If the Russian state was involved, would they have done so covertly? There are a lot of possibilities and we must at least keep that in mind. There wasn't a floor of employees in a government building doing this, that I'm quite sure of.

[Initech]

8. Please throw Alex Jones in jail!

He can peddle his hate behind padded walls!

[Botany]

9. From the article

The story generated a response from Alex Jones, who runs InfoWars.

“I don’t personally take this as a threat … I’m threatened for the country,” he said on his radio show. “I mean if the Russians want to secure our borders, cut our taxes, not have us go bankrupt, rebuild our military, block radical Islam — well then, hell, I’m a Russian agent! But I’m not.”

*******

[Initech]

10. So he wants to outsource the government to Russia? Yeah that will work!

[Botany]

11. Steve Bannon and Alex Jones are in the end anti American fascists.

They really have some vile ideas.

And they are now the source of much of Trump's "news" and I have no
doubt that they worked hand in glove w/Putin and company to help
rig the elections.

And now there is evidence that Ryan used Russian help in a number of
congressional races. Plus how did McConnell know that if he waited
until after the election a "new person" would be there for SCOTUS?

God only knows how big this "thing" w/Russia/Trump/Republicans/
alt right media go.

[Initech]

13. I have listened to a good deal of Alex Jones' material and watched a lot of his Youtube videos.

The guy is criminally insane. I mean at one point he said he would be "willing to die for Trump". And then all the crap about Pizzagate (which he deleted) and all the crap about Orlando and Sandy Hook - which he still is convinced was a false flag attack. Then that Der Speigel article came out a couple of weeks ago where they visited the Infowars headquarters and it pretty much confirmed how batshit crazy he is. The guy is nuts. And he has followers. And they vote.

[Botany]

16. I try to avoid Alex Jones but I do think he has a coke habit.

And yes you do have people who read and watch his crap and have no clue
that what they are getting is just vile swill. I was just up in the mountains
in Western MD and W.V. and some of the worst little backwater shacks had
Trump signs and rebel flags and no doubt Alex Jones, Steve Bannon, Fox News,
racist family members and their pastors have polluted their minds.

[Old Terp]

12. Looking back to Brexit, I can't help thinking that this sounds very similar.T

Trump was very vocal about wanting Britain out of the European Union. Was Russia involved too with Bots, assorted disinformation, hacking, and so forth. Trump wasn't being that closely watched then. Wonder if the Five Eyes have any old intercepts that deserve another look?

[Botany]

14. Some of the Russians who worked for Brexit were in contact w/team Trump.

Or so I have read on the internets.

[Initech]

15. Since the election I too have been wondering about Russia and Brexit.

And I wouldn't be surprised if other countries have been targeted by Putin and his minions. I mean if Russia isn't stopped they could take over the world. All that's needed is for someone to declare war on North Korea. And that is a scary thought.