According to the albeit dubious Washington Post, the Obama administration will soon announce retaliatory measures against Russia for the putative role it played installing Donald Trump in the White House.
Once again citing unnamed “U.S. officials,” the Post reports the punitive moves “are expected to include covert action that will probably involve cyber-operations,” and the public will learn precisely what’s planned “as early as this week.”
Of course, laughably unexplained by the Post is how these officials feel announcing covert actions to the public would be to the advantage of the administration — but the outlet has of late displayed a penchant for providing tangible information — including, most glaringly, on the topic of Russian interference in the U.S. election.
That Russian State actors meddled in the election — in particular, by hacking the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign chair John Podesta’s emails to provide information to WikiLeaks — has yet to be backed by even a shred of legitimate evidence.
In fact, the Post and New York Times published articles citing unnamed officials from the CIA, who ostensibly concluded Russia — and President Vladimir Putin, himself — ‘hacked the election,’ without providing the most basic explanation for how this was possible, who had done so, or why the hack was undertaken. Yet, countless left-leaning corporate presstitutes parroted the report as if it constituted established fact.
Now, with the problematic announcement of a future announcement on how Obama will seek reprisals for the theoretical hack, it appears the corporate media and U.S. government will be complicit — sans unassailable proof — in an act of aggression against Russia, no matter what form it takes.
As the Post explains, President Obama sought to employ powers provided in an executive order issued last year “to punish and deter foreign hackers who harm U.S. economic or national security,” but officials felt it could not “punish the most significant cyber-provocation in recent memory against the United States — Russia’s hacking of Democratic organizations, targeting of state election systems and meddling in the presidential election.”
But did this “most significant cyber-provocation in recent memory” even occur?
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange — the one person with critical firsthand knowledge — vehemently denies the Russians provided the DNC and Podesta documents, saying the caches didn’t come from hacks at all, rather, an insider leaked the information for transparency’s sake.
Further, several veteran Intelligence officials, including former CIA analyst Ray McGovern and NSA whistleblower William Binney, issued a statement in agreement with Assange, noting, in part, “harder evidence of a technical nature points to an inside leak, not hacking — by Russians or anyone else.”
To act aggressively, whether online or by other means, against another government without first proving beyond doubt that nation, indeed, took offensive measures is ludicrous — not to mention reckless — and will itself be seen as a first strike.
These unnamed officials, who spoke with the Post on condition of anonymity, noted “the White House is working on adapting the authority to punish the Russians,” perhaps by declaring U.S. electoral systems part of “critical infrastructure” — thus protected, in addition to power grids and the like, under Obama’s executive order — and notably punishable by cyber or even military actions.
“Obama issued the executive order in April 2015,” the Post explains, “creating the sanctions tool as a way to hold accountable people who harm computer systems related to critical functions such as electricity generation or transportation, or who gain a competitive advantage through the cybertheft of commercial secrets.
The order allows the government to freeze the assets in the United States of people overseas who have engaged in cyber-acts that have threatened U.S. national security or financial stability. The sanctions would also block commercial transactions with the designated individuals and bar their entry into the country.
Issuing further sanctions against Russia would seem an unwise move, considering the Kremlin was already ruffled — and vowed to take “proper measures” — for financial penalties already inflicted over Russia’s actions concerning Ukraine.
“We regret that Washington continues this destructive line. We still disagree with this line and we believe that it very seriously harms our bilateral relations. Certainly, as this has been already in practice, the Russian side will take adequate measures,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media last Wednesday, according to TASS.
We can only once again express regret and misunderstanding over this destructive persistence of our US colleagues.
Yet, the U.S. continues posturing about theoretical Russian Hackers — a claim emphatically and repeatedly denied by the Kremlin.
Bravado hasn’t abated, and reached new heights over the last week, as again unnamed U.S. officials came forward exclusively to NBC News, saying Obama had used the legendary “Red Phone” to communicate directly with Putin on October 31, warning the Russian president “International law, including the law for armed conflict, applies to actions in cyberspace.”
Once again, however, this report from the corporate press constitutes plain Red Scare rhetoric designed to present the U.S. as the ‘tough guy’ in the situation — because that Red Phone is the standard means of communication between Washington and Moscow employed for typical negotiations.
Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, dismissed the ominous overtones implied by NBC and other mainstream American outlets, noting, “this is a normal secure communication line, which the heads of state use for telephone negotiations.”
On December 9, the Washington Post published its dubiously ill-supported report citing an unnamed senior U.S. official — not specifying whether this person was part of an agency, bureau, or any other government body — who claimed,
It is the assessment of the intelligence community that Russia’s goal here was to favor one candidate over the other, to help Trump get elected. That’s the consensus view.
Further, the Post reported,
The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency, rather than just to undermine confidence in the U.S. electoral system, according to officials briefed on the matter.
However, no consensus had been reached among the 17 agencies of the Intelligence Community — in fact, as Reuters reported, “While the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) does not dispute the CIA’s analysis of Russian hacking operations, it has not endorsed their assessment because of a lack of conclusive evidence that Moscow intended to boost Trump over Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, said the officials, who declined to be named.”
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A lack of unanimity on the assertion Russia tampered in the election should, under any circumstances, quash plans to retaliate — but belligerent rhetoric continues and the legality of issuing a response the U.S. deems appropriate is under consideration.
Indeed, during the Red Phone conversation with Putin, Peskov asserted, Obama repeatedly mentioned Russian cyber attacks against the U.S.,
But each time, unfortunately, we could not get some more or less reasonable substantiation of these accusations, some specific facts or something else.
And, that is why, of course, all these accusations are completely unfounded and are not backed by any arguments.
Nonetheless, the corporate media machine continues splashing the vapid accusation across headlines in lockstep with Obama, who antagonistically vowed retribution, stating,
I think there is no doubt that when any foreign government tries to impact the integrity of our elections . . . we need to take action. And we will — at a time and place of our own choosing. Some of it may be explicit and publicized; some of it may not be.
This perilous volley of threats and evidence-less allegations have amplified hostilities between the two former Cold War foes to an astonishing degree — some analysts have even warned such posturing could set the foundation for armed conflict.
Unsurprisingly, that effort proved even more fruitless than expected — and the pair has now filed a lawsuit against the CIA, FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for failing to comply with the requests.
Recode reports:
According to the Department of Justice, agencies are required to notify the party who issued the information request within 10 days of receiving a letter asking for expedited processing. Leopold and Shapiro first sent their FOIA request to the FBI, DHS, CIA and the ODNI on Dec. 14 and a second request to the CIA on Dec. 15 […]
The plaintiffs seek information about any ongoing investigation into ties between Donald Trump or anyone associated with his campaign and interference from the Russian government in the election. Leopold and Shapiro also asked for communications between Congress and the Republican and Democratic campaign committees, as well as Hillary Clinton’s campaign in reference to Russian involvement with the 2016 presidential race.
Whether their effort will result in proof linking Russia to the hacks — or to President-elect Trump — remains to be seen.
Russia has also tired of the belligerent rhetoric bandied about by Obama and American presstitutes, as Peskov recently asserted the United States must “either stop talking about it or finally produce some evidence, otherwise it all begins to look unseemly.”
Now, Americans find themselves in the uncomfortable position under the governance of an administration discussing retaliatory measures against world and nuclear power, Russia — while still waiting for the State to provide even a modicum of evidence it would have grounds to do so.
Claire Bernish writes for TheFreeThoughtProject.com, where this article first appeared.
Muslims with box cutters, WMD in Iraq… only this time The Big Lie is about a country that can kick our bad a$$. But it’s just more of the Hegel Show: Problem, reaction, solution. Putin and Trump will kiss and make up, disaster will be averted, and a major plot element is thus added to the NWO action wall. That’s what Trump meant about “building a wall.” For some reason people thought he was talking about Mexico.
Putin will not be community agitated into a conflict with the US. If he won’t get duped by the false flag assassination of his ambassador to Turkey, he certainly won’t fall for Obama’s junior varsity antics. Obama makes the mistake of believing that Putin is as much as a petulant child as he is.
Putin is acting out the NWO game of thrones fictional play as a NWO BIS bankster minion as he brings Russians to heel with a totalitarian resurgence of Stalinism (big time as is Maoism in China) under the rubric of UN Agenda 2030…termed “Strategy” 2030 in Russia. Putin knows all about false flags, having unleashed many on his own countryman as an excuse to implement anti extremist laws being used today on peaceful dissenters. You can find this information for yourself if you do a few original searches.
What one earth are you babbling about? Russia did not hack this election. Period. Stupid paid troll.
Putin is a NWO lackey who takes his orders from the international banksters ruling over BIS (Rothschilds & Rockefellers), Russia’s central bank is a BIS tentacle. If you figured out the US political system (neolib vs. neocon) is Kabuki theater, then try to understand geopolitics is also Kabuki theater designed to distract us (run the clock out) as the new totalitarian system is completed.
I will say this about Putin though. He understood how to bring Russia’s organized crime into cooperative and mutually beneficial relationships.
See Janus, the “vertical of power structure” is a NWO construct tested in Russia, not Putin’s “idea”, imo. Now being emulated in China with Xi’s strengthened iron fist rule over the Central Committee, Xi given Mao’s “Core Leader” title two months ago. Erdogan still angling for the passage of the legislation in Turkey’s parliament that will allow him to rule by decree. Obama ever more brazen with the Executive Order = incremental totalitarian tiptoe in the west. FYI: You might want to check out Russian scholar Karen Dawisha’s well researched book Putin’s Kleptocracy: Who Owns Russia? (2015). >>> The rise of NWO technocratic Fascism, more “efficient” yet dehumanizing? The Cathedral vs The Bazaar? I prefer the Bazaar! 😉
Blue, you sure can write. Clearly, Putin is not a solitary leader. However, from the shared experiences of various Russians, including a few operating within Russia’s organized crime hierarchy, I was surprised at how well Putin is able to integrate these men into the new Russia. There’s a sense of shared sovereignty. I don’t get the feeling that Xi has any intention of sharing leadership, but then China is insecure, arrogant, but insecure.
The KGB / FSB, Oligarchs (most Gewish, sorry, moderation trigger) spawned out of Larry Summer’s Russia state asset privatization program, and old friends of Putin formed the backbone of the vertical of power structure and still do today. The KGB aspect parallels the longstanding practice of CIA = Wall Street. It was such an overt financial takeover of Russia’s economy it became a critical part of Anne Williamson’s testimony to the US congress and her book on The Plunder of Russia. https://paullikoudis.wordpress.com/2011/03/24/the-plunder-of-russia-in-the-1990s/ Russian intelligence as the new interlocking Kremlin & Intelligence as New Mafia paradigm under the thumb of the NWO Technocratic Neofeudal paradigm is hinted at here in this German based publication. http://www.dw.com/en/russia-contemplating-kgb-comeback/a-19564614 As for China : Russia structural parallels I believe this is just the beginning of several big steps that will look outwardly like somewhat different endgames but I believe that is mostly due to population logistics, Russia having a population of ~144 M compared to China at 1.4 B – obviously, almost 10 fold greater. Consider how the two nations are in lock step creating resurgences of Stalinism and Maoism. The endgame though truly is the end of nation states to be supplanted with regional governance of more “bite size” sub regions. In May or June 2015 Rothschild owned The Economist published a detailed explanation of why an economically distressed Russia with malcontents in far flung outer regions was set for an inevitable fracturing. A couple months later, in a Peggy Noonan column the Wall Street Journal floated the idea of the US fracturing as it described the prognostications of an anonymous powerful mover and shaker. // Thanks for the compliment! I’m still recovering from my brain having been carpet bombed owing to a now corrected endocrine disorder, probably not quite at 50% of my peak communication skills and only 20% of my ability to quickly process information. I keep at it. 😉
Very well done. Now, how is this linked to the Mossad?
I agree with you on the difference a smaller population can make, but all countries must feed their people. Mass starvation is ugly and can cause rioting and revolt. You probably saw the move to break up California into several states underwritten by your favorite of the Very Rich, the Technocrats. Ha. Glad to hear you caught the disorder or imbalance. Using your mind will get you back to where you were. Quality Nutrition is key. I’m sure you are researching all you can on that score.
Hi See Janus, we’re taking a round about side trail on effective forms of government, which is a legitimate point I have considered too. China is a special case, as would be India given the size of their populations. Of course, they are at great risk and require more oversight than less densely packed populations such as the US, Canada, and Russia. There’s no reason the 3 aforementioned nation states could not function well with greater autonomy for the citizenry esp. if the dumbing down and mind control had not been methodically applied for generations. Here I strongly adhere to John Taylor Gatto’s view. I picked up on it myself in elementary school, fortunate to have frequently escaped the classroom, channeled into independent study and programs for gifted students. Even so, I was substantially held back. Imagine a more enlightened world, naturally so, and connected via open source communication. Never to be allowed by Luciferian overlords, an ideology to which TPTB fully admit – which I assume you are well versed in [Mossad, Fabians, Masons, Illumi-naughty, Trilateralists, New Age misleaders, et al]. // Yes, thanks for the encouragement! Quality nutrition IS key to recovery and optimal living, an important part of my personal philosophy since I was 14. 😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj8f7ycnUtU&t=18218s
Naw,I don’t believe so.Putin is blocking the JWO.
This is all posturing and distraction.
I am sure the unholy zentral bank goat worshipers want w3 to start before Trump is sworn in, as this will allow a third no-name potus term.
Russia the convenient boogie man, interfered withe the Hildebeest wut a joke.
Perpetual wars in middle earth, all out of lies.
CIA and FBI compete for worst agency and best waste of tax dollars.
Sacrifice the goat.
Drain the swamp.
They are filthy traitors, and deserve to be punished to the full extent of the law.
Obama is desperate. Even enough to start WWIII so that Trump cannot
take office. He is afraid that Trump will find and expose every crime
the Obamas and Clintons have engaged in for years. Obama and Hillary
are fighting for their lives. They will gladly sacrifice all of our
American lives to do it.
The Russian interference with the election meme is a highly organized psychological operation to begin targeting us with censorship.
Why is Trump loading his cabinet with Globalist Neocons, to include Skull & Bones Steve Mnuchin as Sec. of Treasury? He is also backpedaling on many of his positions. At the very least, that should signal caution and vigilance.
Agree
One of many such operations, unfortunately.
America remains the greatest threat to World peace (or is it tail wagging the dog that we need to fear?). The next 3 weeks look to be interesting if the expelling of 35 Russian diplomats is anything to go by.