How Putin Weaponized Wikileaks to Influence the Election of an American President

[baldguy]

Close your eyes and imagine that a hacking group backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin broke into the email system of a major U.S. political party. The group stole thousands of sensitive messages and then published them through an obliging third party in a way that was strategically timed to influence the United States presidential election. Now open your eyes, because that’s what just happened.
...
But leave aside the purported content of the Wikileaks data dump (to which numerous other outlets have devoted considerable attention) and consider the source. Considerable evidence shows that the Wikileaks dump was an orchestrated act by the Russian government, working through proxies, to undermine Hillary Clinton’s Presidential campaign.

“This has all the hallmarks of tradecraft. The only rationale to release such data from the Russian bulletproof host was to empower one candidate against another. The Cold War is alive and well,” Tom Kellermann, the CEO of Strategic Cyber Ventures told Defense One.
...
The use of Wikileaks as the publishing platform served to legitimize the information dump, which also contains a large amount of personal information related to democratic donors such as social security and credit card numbers. This suggests that Wikileaks didn’t perform a thorough analysis of the documents before they released them, or simply didn’t care.

more:
http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2016/07/how-putin-weaponized-wikileaks-influence-election-american-president/130163/

[Cha]

1. Thank you for this, baldguy.. Jou Reid is getting warned by wikileaks..

Putin praises 'bright and talented' Trump

http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/17/politics/russia-putin-trump/

Trump campaign gutted GOP’s anti-Russia stance on Ukraine

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=2288472

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=2288481

Joy Reid is getting warned by wikileaks..

Joy Reid
✔ ?@JoyAnnReid
Tomorrow on #AMJoy we'll explore the unprecedented affinity between an American presidential candidate - Trump - Russia and Wilileaks.

WikiLeaks
✔ ?@wikileaks
@JoyAnnReid You are pushing a discredited conspiracy theory. There is no affinity, whatsoever. Our lawyers will monitor your program.
7:57 PM - 23 Jul 2016
1,569 1,569 Retweets 2,609 2,609 likes

Kim Ghattas
✔ ?@BBCKimGhattas
Wow. Wiki leaks is now into intimidating journalists @JoyAnnReid https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/757092238400913408 …
3:09 AM - 24 Jul 2016
580 580 Retweets 442 442 likes

Joy Reid ?@JoyAnnReid · 4h4 hours ago
This isn't getting as much attention, but Russian meddling in the U.S. election IS the biggest bombshell out there.
https://twitter.com/JoyAnnReid?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://theobamadiary.com/2016/07/24/president-obama-on-face-the-nation/

Russian government hackers penetrated DNC, stole opposition research on Trump

The DNC said that no financial, donor or personal information appears to have been accessed or taken, suggesting that the breach was traditional espionage, not the work of criminal hackers.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/russian-government-hackers-penetrated-dnc-stole-opposition-research-on-trump/2016/06/14/cf006cb4-316e-11e6-8ff7-7b6c1998b7a0_story.html

Ronald Brownstein
?@RonBrownstein
More @SangerNYT "metadata from the released emails suggests that the documents passed through Russian computers"

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/25/us/politics/donald-trump-russia-emails.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0

[Loki]

13. Mahalo Cha.

Thanks for putting all these links together. Even thinking at all this leaked information passed through Russian computers is just convincing me that there is more to this than we can see right now and it's uglier and more dangerous than we can imagine. Just found another interesting article that speaks to the relationship that Paul Manafort has with Putin and Putin surrogates.

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/07/clinton-trump-putin-nato/492332/

[Cha]

16. Yes, this is just the very tip of the iceberg, Loki..

I'm so glad they've discovered this so soon and traced it back through Russian computers.. and wikileaks denies it, of course.

It's Official: Hillary Clinton Is Running Against Vladimir Putin

Fulfilling what might be the Russian autocrat’s dearest wish, Trump has openly questioned whether the U.S. should keep its commitments to NATO.

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/07/clinton-trump-putin-nato/492332/

While Sen Tim Kaine's son is being deployed this week to go help NATO.

Thank you for the link!

[Loki]

18. Cha, added more information on that linked article

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/07/clinton-trump-putin-nato/492332/

It's Official: Hillary Clinton Is Running Against Vladimir Putin
Fulfilling what might be the Russian autocrat’s dearest wish, Trump has openly questioned whether the U.S. should keep its commitments to NATO.


Denis Sinyakov / Reuter



JEFFREY GOLDBERG JUL 21, 2016 GLOBAL
The Republican nominee for president, Donald J. Trump, has chosen this week to unmask himself as a de facto agent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a KGB-trained dictator who seeks to rebuild the Soviet empire by undermining the free nations of Europe, marginalizing NATO, and ending America’s reign as the world’s sole superpower.

RELATED STORY


Putin Returns Trump's Effusive Praise

[Cha]

19. trump is just stupid enough to shoot off his big mouth. If he had gone

about this more stealthily we might not have known wth was going on so soon.

Instead they're being all kissy kissy and I bet President Obama and Hillary are on this.

Obama is the who decides how much intelligence and what kind trump gets.

Thank you!

[George II]

29. Hah! Their whole existence relies on illegal activities but their lawyers are "monitoring...

..your program"? Perhaps their lawyers should be monitoring THEIR activities!

[Cha]

31. Freaking Good Point, George!

Damn.. why didn't I think of that? I bet Joy did. lol

[Cha]

37. Rachel's Tweet on that, George..

Rachel Maddow MSNBC Verified account 
?@maddow
Rachel Maddow MSNBC Retweeted WikiLeaks
"our lawyers will monitor your program"? seriously? and will you lurk in the alley, too?

Her Sister~

[pscot]

33. Highly recommended.

Dynamite post Cha.

[Cha]

34. Mahalo, pscot!

[NCTraveler]

2. They are threatening our people and working for Trump.

No surprise considering the influence a rapist and seriously sick man has had on their orginization. Trump and Assange share many qualities. Their view of women, narcissistic personality disorder, and a lack of ability in using critical thinking skills.

Wiki has become the BNR of the Republican Party.

[glennward]

3. What it really suggests is that Wikileaks doesn't give a damn about who they hurt or what they

expose. They have lost all credibility to me that they are about anything except hurting people they don't like and doing as much damage as is possible to the US under this President. Ensuring that Hillary is hurt by their leaks is a way to ensure that the Obama legacy is also hurt...for the same reasons.

[Demsrule86]

5. NO there is definitely a Trump Putin connection...Morning Joe even brought it up. nt

[cynzke]

4. NEW CAMPAIGN POSTERS......!

T R U M P
Putin
2 0 1 6

[-Steph-]

22. Found on google images...

[1StrongBlackMan]

6. Posted to for later.

[Loki]

7. I' glad that we are starting to pay attention to this.

If this is true, the consequences are unbelievable. We have a foreign government trying to influence/disrupt our political elections. I'll be watching Joy Reid today.

[turbinetree]

9. I think I will watch Democracy Now

Honk------------------for a political revolution

[Loki]

10. Putin's Revolution, I think not.

[turbinetree]

15. You do realize that Democracy Now, is self funded, through private donations

and is not owned by some right wing bent corporation like MSNBC/ NBC/ Comcast, CBS/ Time Warner, ABC/ Disney, TBS/TLC, Fix Noise

Do you watch Stephanie Miller?


And yes Honk----------------------for a political revolution

[Sam1]

12. Why is it unbelievabe?

The United States has been interfering in the elections of other countries for years. This just seems to be apart of the play book.

What is frightening to me is the implication that the Russians have all of Clintons e-mails. One has to assume that she is totally compromised and therefore may no longer the lesser of 2 evils!

[Loki]

14. That is probably one of the most ridiculous statements I've read.

Yes, by all means lets elect a surrogate of Vladimir Putin to be our next president.

[geek tragedy]

24. Trolls are really out in force today. nt

[geek tragedy]

23. You are advocating for people to vote for Donald Trump against Hillary Clinton.,

What is frightening to me is the implication that the Russians have all of Clintons e-mails. One has to assume that she is totally compromised and therefore may no longer the lesser of 2 evils!

1. We are not stupid enough to fall for your pro-Trump advocacy.
2. Trump-humping is banned here. You should leave if you can't respect site rules.

[Loki Liesmith]

26. It sounds like you don't support the Democratic Candidate

Would you say that's accurate?

[Cryptoad]

11. Reckon Snowden help Putin set it up? nt

[pscot]

35. Reckon not

[ismnotwasm]

17. K&R

[pangaia]

20. The US of A has been influencing foreign elections

for decades, and in much worse ways than this.

Why, I hear the 'USA' has even been influencing elections right here in the good ole US of A.

That said, and seeing what turn-around is like, this is definitely scary shit.

[L. Coyote]

21. Imagine the Republicans did this and needed to make it look like they did not.

[center]

Some History of Trump Operatives

Deja DU excerpts, many more at link: Bush vs. Gore, the 'Arkansas Project,' the USA firings, and the Swiftboat Admiral

L. Coyote Jun-09-07
44. Donald Trump, Roger Stone, Jack Abramoff, Gaming Gaming and Scalping the Tribes.

How is it that two consumate Republican insiders, both purported specialists in illegal
funding of campaigns, one a political dirty trickster who stays behind the scenes and
the other a felonious convict linked to the White House political office, each manage
to garner tens of millions of dollars from Indian tribes in the gaming rackets? By
working both sides at once, of course. And, how is it that one gets convicted and goes
to jail while the other keeps getting paid? Who is scalping whom for how much, who has
lost their scalp, who still has theirs, and will Donald Trump's hair survive the scandals?

With all the attention to Abramoff defrauding the Tribes, why isn't there more attention on
who else is involved in all of gaming's political machinations and influence peddling?

Who has lucrative contracts to receive a percentage of the gross from Indian casinos, and
how did they obtain it? Where is all that money going? How much ends up in the coffers of
politicos like Sen. John McCain, and why? Who else is scalping the Tribes?

And how much of the scalping goes to legal and illegal campaign contributions?

Questions to be answered.

36. Who is Roger Stone, Jr.? Buckley, Nixon, Reagan, Bush operative.

"Roger J. Stone, Jr. is a long-time Republican dirty-tricks operative who led the mob that shut down the Miami-Dade County recount and helped make George W. Bush president in 2000. He was also a campaign strategist during the presidential campaigns of Presidents Nixon, Reagan and George Herbert Walker Bush. .............


........ Roger Stone and the Jack Abramoff mould. Making $$millions$$ gaming gaming.

A Dirty Trickster's Bush Bonanza
The man who stopped Miami recount makes gaming millions
by Wayne Barrett
April 19th, 2004 9:30 AM
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/...........

Roger Stone, the dirty-tricks hobgoblin of Republican politics, has exploited his Bush connections to become an influence-peddling force in the $13 billion Indian gaming industry. Stone's booming business in such a federally regulated enterprise makes his recent pro bono orchestration of Al Sharpton's double-edged presidential campaign an even stranger covert caper.

The longtime GOP consultant's reward for fomenting the "Brooks Brothers mob" that shut down the Miami-Dade recount in 2000 was an invitation within days of Bush's election to serve on the Department of Interior transition working group—helping, in his own words, to staff its Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Stone has since used this unannounced perch to market himself to tribes and developers from Louisiana to California, earning fat fees and contingent percentages of future casino revenue. Just two of the five deals examined by the Voice are projected to pay him at least $8 million, and perhaps as much as $13 million.

Time, The Washington Post and The New York Times have published exposés about Bush's BIA, with a February story highlighting $45 million in payments to two GOP lobbyists from four tribes since 2001. But no one has focused on Stone's profiteering, which, unlike the payments to registered lobbyists, is not reported on any public filings. ..............

40. Roger Stone, Iran-Contra, NCPAC, Blackwell, Buchanan, Rove, Sex & Trump's Money ...

What role did Stone play in financing the Contras? .............

41. Roger Stone - "slash-and-burn Republican black-bag election tamperer"

A Prayer for Reverend Al
Let Him Buy His Soul Back from the Republicans
by Doug Ireland
www.dissidentvoice.org
February 21, 2004 - First Published in LA Weekly
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Feb04/Ireland0221.htm

Who is Roger Stone? A slash-and-burn Republican black-bag election tamperer and consultant whose mentor was the repulsive Roy Cohn — the redbaiting hatchet man for Senator Joe McCarthy. Stone first made news in the Nixon Watergate scandal, when it was revealed that the 19-year-old apprentice McCarthyite had infiltrated George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign as part of CREEP’s sabotage plan. ... Stone helped Ollie North raise money for the Nicaraguan contras, and was a close associate of the notorious Lee Atwater ...

This one, my favorite, exemplifes the lengths to which these unscrupulous operatives will go just to malign a Dem candidate. This is not democracy, it is criminal conduct.

48. Swiftboating Al Gore from Argentina, SIDE, Israeli wire transfers, spy files, forgery, Bush & Menem

un-10-07 04:44 PM by L. Coyote
There just is no way to make this stuff up!! This is a court pleading. Unbelievable.

First get some spy files from Israel, alter them to look like Argentine spy files, make them implicate Bush and Menem in corruption, blame Gore for the forged documents. Sound familiar. Did I mention blackmailing bribed journalists and, of course, the perennial covert Republican dirty tricksters. This genre of dirty trick came to be known as "swiftboating" when done to Kerry four years later by the same players!!

==========================
http://pacer.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinion.pdf/041901.P.pdf
Olavar (Triumph Communications International Group, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v.
Santibañes, Defendant-Appellee, and Ikon Holdings, Inc., t/a Ikon Public Affairs, Dick Morris, Roger Stone, Eileen McGann, John Does, Defendants.

Appeal from the United States District Court Decided: December 1, 2005

Triumph Communications International Group, Incorporated is a corporation that provides political consulting and public relations services and is owned and operated solely by Mattie Lolavar.

In early 2000, Miss Lolavar began discussions with defendant Dick Morris about the possibility of her working with Craig Snyder and defendant Roger Stone, who are partners in defendant IKON Holdings, Inc., another political consulting firm ... about the possibility of Triumph Communications’ assistance with work that IKON was doing for the government of Argentina.
These discussions lead to two contracts ... and provided that Triumph would act as a public relations consultant to "the Secretary of Intelligence of Argentina" as well as arrange various media events...

Miss Lolavar went to Argentina in August 2000 to assist de Santibañes with preparations for his testimony in Argentine congressional hearings inquiring into allegations that he and the Argentine intelligence agency, known as SIDE, were responsible for bribing various Argentine senators in exchange for political support. Morris and Stone assigned other tasks to Miss Lolavar while she was in Argentina. Among other acts, they instructed her to contact SIDE and obtain a list of journalists who accepted bribes from that organization in order to harm the credibility of those same journalists in reporting on a bribery scandal surrounding de Santibañes and President de la Rua, as well as requiring her to spread false information to the press concerning de la Rua’s political opponent, Dr. Carlos Menem. The charges and counter-charges related here are from the papers in the court file, as are the other facts.

A request that occasioned controversy between Miss Lolavar and the defendants was Morris and Stone’s request that she serve as an intermediary in an anonymous wire transfer of funds to an official in Israel. These funds were to be paid to secure intelligence files from the Israeli government to assist de la Rua’s political domestic disputes with Menem, and to imply a corrupt relationship between Menem and George W. Bush, who was then running against Albert Gore for the United States presidency. These files were to be altered by Miss Lolavar to appear to be SIDE documents.

When the defendants became concerned that this plot would be discovered and traced back to them, they ordered Miss Lolavar to orchestrate a press response to blame Vice President Gore for the dissemination of the documents, since it was known to them that the Gore campaign had been attempting to connect Menem with the Bush campaign.

[UCmeNdc]

25. Donald Trump really needs to clear this mess up,

Donald Trump should release his TAX returns for the last 20 years. If Trump really does not have nothing to hide he should welcome the chance to clear this up.

[happyslug]

27. This is all speculation based on flimsy evidence.

Last edited Tue Jul 26, 2016, 10:26 AM - Edit history (1)

If this is Russian, why are the "mistakes" of the type done by Romanians? (Romanians speak a "Latin" tongue that has a large number of loan words from Slavic languages, unlike French, Spanish and Italian whose main source of foreign loan words is German).

Side note: Latin was most influenced during the time of the Roman Empire by Greek, so Greek is the source of many foreign words in all four Romance Languages.

The source then says cyber attacks at the DNC by what they say was Russian attackers based on the grounds that the attacks occurred during normal work hours in Moscow AND did not occur on Russian Holidays. That is good evidence of Russian attacks on the DNC E-mail system, but that does NOT mean the Russians provided it to Wikileaks. That is like saying "Since you sped on the Turnpike last night, you were the cause of the traffic accident this morning". Yes the Russians attack the Email system, but that does not mean someone else did not attack it (or that it was leaked from an insider to Wikileaks).

There are to many leaps of faith necessary to believe this story. It may be true, but it may also be false. All we know is the Russians did attacks on the DNC E-mail server and Wikileaks then published those E-mails.

My comment is who puts Social Security Number in an E-mail? Everyone knows E-mail is NOT SECURE, it is the easiest thing for people to break into. Whoever put a Social Security number in an E-mail should be fired. You do NOT send personal data or information by E-mail. E-mail should be restricted to comments and messages that you do NOT care if a third parties reads them. If you want privacy, use Snail-mail.

[Evergreen Emerald]

28. This is terrifying. And the media is playing right into it.

With biased escalated rhetoric suggesting that DNC was playing favorites rather than the truth, which is that a couple of stupid employees suggested something that was immediately shot down.

[jtuck004]

30. The Atrocities of Augusto Pinochet and the United States

In Santiago on September 11, 1973, I watched as Chilean air force jets flew overhead. Moments later I heard explosions and saw fireballs of smoke fill the sky as the presidential palace went up in flames. Salvador Allende, the elected Socialist president of Chile died in the palace.

Being from the United States, the death of General Augusto Pinochet brings back many memories of the military coup and the role played by my government in the violent overthrow of Allende. From the moment of his election in September, 1970 the Nixon administration mounted a covert campaign against him. Henry Kissinger, then Nixon’s National Security adviser, declared: “I don’t see why we need to stand idly by and watch a country go Communist due to the irresponsibility of its own people.” Weeks later the pro-constitutionalist head of the army, General Rene Schneider, was assassinated in a failed attempt to stop the inauguration of Allende.

For the next three years CIA-backed terrorist groups bombed and destroyed state railroads, power plants and key highway arteries to create chaos and stop the country from functioning. The goal was to “make the economy scream” as Nixon ordered. US corporations such as IT&T also participated in the efforts to destabilize the country.
..."

http://nacla.org/news/atrocities-augusto-pinochet-and-united-states


Those dirty commies, interfering with the democratically elected leader of a country...

[jalan48]

32. Looks like the oligarchs are uniting to rule the world.

Is this the New World Order we have heard so much about?

[raindaddy]

36. This story could also be, Putin creates transparency in the Democratic party election process...

DNC exposed trying to influence the Election of an American President....

I'm sure Putin Weaponized DWS as well...

[AgadorSparticus]

38. K&R