Saturday, February 17, 2018

This is how Russia President Putin has lead? A Russia that seeks to undermine governments rather than compete with them. Russia needs a new focus on peace and it's prosperity.

February 17, 2018
By Doug Stanlin

President Trump's national security adviser (click here) said Saturday that Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections is beyond dispute, marking a sharp reversal of the president's frequent dismissal of alleged Russian cyber-meddling as a "hoax."

H.R. McMaster was speaking at an international conference in Munich in response to a question from a Russian delegate.

He spoke shortly after an appearance at the same gathering by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who had dismissed as "just claptrap" allegations of Russian meddling found in U.S. indictments handed down Friday.

Referring to the indictment of 13 Russians, McMaster said that “with the FBI indictment, the evidence is now incontrovertible” of Russia cyber-meddling.

McMaster's sharp accusations were the most pointed from a high White House official regarding charges of Russian interference in the  2016 elections....

The findings thus far in the Mueller investigation have been stunning. All the FBI ever wanted was cooperation from Americans and what it got were lies and deceptions. Why?

When General Flynn lied to the FBI, what was the point? The FBI wanted the truth to lead to these indictments and all the General could do is lie and provide cover for Russians. I am a bit disillusioned by a former General of the USA military that would allow this attack on the USA by a foreign government. Why were all these people lying?

Money is that important? Money like Americans never saw before the Russians pretended to like the USA. There are 13 Russians and three Russian businesses indicted. This is not a minor issue, they were attempting to effect elections so they had controlling influence over the policies of the USA. Why? Why would any American turn to a foreign government to allow influence over the outcomes of an election? At the very least I would expect there to be threats from Russia against those that lied to enforce the influence. 

If Americans can't protect their own country and are available for bribes and influence, where are we in this world? Money controls the loyalty of Americans to their own country? What has happened to the USA and its election processes? It is profound insight the Mueller investigation has revealed. An election is not a game of chance. Elections are supposed to be the American people's voice, not that of a foreign government.

And the idea Russia was this deeply involved and lied about is astounding. I do not believe for one minute, for one second, that Vladimir Putin did not know about the election tampering. One of the Russian internet companies is directly tied to the Kremlin. Vladimir Putin absolutely did have involvement. The KGB is his speciality. Putin's KGB style is on everything. The strategy to overthrow the USA government by Russia was organized, the players knew their mission, they participated willingly, Wikileaks was harnessed to provide the suspicion to erode the reputation of former Secretary Clinton and most of all there were Trump campaign officials with knowledge of the players. The charges against the Russians and the Russian companies are conspiracy, identity theft, failing to register as foreign agents, and violating laws that limit the use of foreign money in U.S. elections. 

The identity theft really bothers me. That particular indictment is one that exceeds attempting influence of an election as a foreign power. The Russians actually stole American identities to provide a legitimate face on the lies that would drive voters in the direction of a candidate easily influenced by Russian power and money. I believe Donald Trump is likeable to Russia, it's leaders, it's people (My understanding is Trump is a populous figure in Russia. Trump would appreciate that flattery and power.) and I believe he likes it and likes the idea of being involved with Russia for greater wealth to his personal holdings and that of his family. Whether Russia's affiliation with Trump would hold sway with Israel is something to be concerned about as well.

Money and it's power to influence Americans when it comes to their sovereign rights to a freely elected government needs to be taken seriously. There needs to be campaign reform which will protect the people from such strategies, from foreign governments and Plutocratic ideologues.

Also to be noted in the Mueller investigation is an American that succumbed to the power of money:

...Richard Pinedo, who ran a business called Auction Essistance that helped people "circumvent the security features of large online digital payment companies," had set up bank accounts using stolen identities. Pinedo agreed to plead guilty to the charge and cooperate with investigators....

Americans should know their political landscape better than this to succumb to the ravages of Russian espionage and influence. The Jill Stein campaign also received influence from the Russians. She was sitting at the same table with Flynn during the RT celebration attended by Vladimir Putin. That puts Putin in the same room, at the same table as the influence the Mueller investigation has exposed. What is everyone thinking?

This was most interesting as well: 

...Prosecutors said the Russians continued their efforts to divide Americans even after the election concluded.

After Trump won, Rosenstein said, the Russian operatives organized competing rallies in New York on the same day both supporting and opposing him. 

By the end of 2017, however, as Mueller's investigation intensified, the Russians learned that they had been exposed. "We had a slight crisis here at work: the FBI busted our activity (not a joke). So, I got preoccupied with covering tracks together with the colleagues," one of them, Irina Kaverzina, wrote in an email to a relative. Mueller's investigators obtained a copy of the email. 

In it, she boasted: "I created all these pictures and posts, and the Americans believed that it was written by their people."...

After Trump was declared the winner of the 2016 elections, the Russians wanted to continue their control realizing they could control Trump's response to issues through electorate pressure. Trump's Twitter Account is actually a method of cooperating with the Russians when maintaining control of his ongoing campaigning.

The control the Russians wanted was far reaching, including down-ballot outcomes and elections of future Congressional races.

If there are no sincere facts to back up political dogma that influences the electorate, it should be disregarded. The USA DEMOCRACY was being undermined and the American people failed impressively to the influence of a foreign government.

The US intelligence agencies did their jobs, they warned Americans about Russian influence, but, the momentum created by the lies was so great it even overshadowed the words of the intelligence agencies. The agencies are the caretakers of our democracy and they lost the power of their voice to the people.

Do the Russian people actually want a KGB government or do they want a government that can lead to compete on a global stage where peace and prosperity reign?

The indictments are impressive and important and I congratulate the Mueller team in seeking the truth and putting it before the people.

The USA is in 5th place.