Putin admits Russia may have been involved in U.S. election:

[kpete]

Said Putin: “If they are patriotically minded, they start making their contributions — which are right, from their point of view — to the fight against those who say bad things about Russia.”


MOSCOW — Shifting away from his previous blanket denials of Russian involvement in cyberattacks last year to help the presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia denied any state role on Thursday but said that “patriotically minded” private Russian hackers could have been involved.

Mr. Putin’s comments, made during a meeting with Russian and foreign news agencies in St. Petersburg, were a departure from the Kremlin’s previous position: that Russia had played no role whatsoever in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and that, after Mr. Trump’s victory, the country had become the victim of anti-Russia hysteria among crestfallen Democrats.

Raising the possibility of attacks by what he portrayed as free-spirited Russian patriots, Mr. Putin said that hackers “are like artists” who choose their targets depending how they feel “when they wake up in the morning.”

“If they are patriotically minded, they start making their contributions — which are right, from their point of view — to the fight against those who say bad things about Russia,” he added.


https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/world/europe/vladimir-putin-donald-trump-hacking.html?smid=tw-share

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[DetlefK]

1. Somebody in Russia is about about to get thrown under a bus... or off a roof, or out of a window...

Or will commit suicide in the trunk of his car.

Or will lie down in his bed, pull a pillow over his head and then shoot himself in the head with a gun.

Or will get shot in an elevator in a "robbery"...

[Crash2Parties]

9. Or Putin is *slowly* changing the narrative so that 30% of America and all the media just shrugs

[YCHDT]

16. +1

[Botany]

2. " ... the possibility of attacks by what he portrayed as free-spirited Russian patriots...."

Who just happen to work for Putin.

[Ezior]

3. Ah, "patriotically minded" hackers are very similar to litte green men in Ukraine. I understand.

Thanks, Vlad, for clearing that up.

[deminks]

4. Pootey. Mueller is right on your tail, asswipe.

He looked into your eyes and found black pits.

Are you denying that your patriotic 'artists' had a little 'encouragement' from you? How many of those 'artists' have you had to kill?

[Hekate]

5. 5th Rec for you

[imanamerican63]

6. NOOOOOOO kidding!

[Liberal In Texas]

7. Somebody paid them.

Can't imagine they'd done it for kicks.

[Madam45for2923]

8. When people get away with things, they cannot help talking about it.

They or their closed ones give it away.

[orangecrush]

10. Putin does NOTHING without a reason...

except when he does something to throw you off, which is still a reason.

Has he recieved info from Nunes or other repubs that the FBI is about to reveal important information about what he is "admitting"?

[Sugar Smack]

15. Maybe it was a "Thank you" note to trump

for the US properties that were given by trump to Russia yesterday.

[orangecrush]

17. Yeah

Nothing like giving them back their spy bases to say "I love you".

[forgotmylogin]

11. Cue President Baby with the Bathwater

declaring Vladimir Putin "fake".

[lark]

12. The hackers weren't officially part of the government.

They were just paid by Putin/government as contract employees. Or, if Putin was slick, he paid some folks outside of official government structure who then paid the hackers from a different account. Either way, Putin was in charge and is obviously feeling heat or he wouldn't have changed his story. Guess he knows Drumpf is doing down and is now disassociating from him, at least on paper.

[FreeStateDemocrat]

13. With the noose tightening, plan B is ready "Plausible Denial," smoke and mirrors next.

[meow2u3]

14. "May" have been involved in the US election?!

Vladdie, your russkies were DEFINITELY involved in the 2016 election--with the help of the reTHUGS and the Trumpanzees! It's all over but the proof.

[Amaryllis]

18. may have been. Like the sun may set this evening.