The CIA Concludes Russia Acted To Aid Trump In Election

[AGBF]

"Russian Hackers Acted to Aid Trump in Election, U.S. Says" from "The New York Times"

"WASHINGTON — American intelligence agencies have concluded with 'high confidence' that Russia acted covertly in the latter stages of the presidential campaign to harm Hillary Clinton’s chances and promote Donald J. Trump, according to senior administration officials.

They based that conclusion, in part, on another finding — which they say was also reached with high confidence — that the Russians hacked the Republican National Committee’s computer systems in addition to their attacks on Democratic organizations, but did not release whatever information they gleaned from the Republican networks.

In the months before the election, it was largely documents from Democratic Party systems that were leaked to the public. Intelligence agencies have concluded that the Russians gave the Democrats’ documents to WikiLeaks.

...​

Intelligence officials and private cybersecurity companies believe that the Democratic National Committee was hacked by two different Russian cyberunits. One, called 'Cozy Bear' or 'A.P.T. 29' by some Western security experts, is believed to have spent months inside the D.N.C. computer network, as well as other government and political institutions, but never made public any of the documents it took. (A.P.T. stands for 'Advanced Persistent Threat,' which usually describes a sophisticated state-sponsored cyberintruder.)

The other, the G.R.U.-controlled unit known as 'Fancy Bear,' or 'A.P.T. 28,' is believed to have created two outlets on the internet, Guccifer 2.0 and DCLeaks, to make Democratic documents public. Many of the documents were also provided to WikiLeaks, which released them over many weeks before the Nov. 8 election."

AGBF

 

[monarch64]

Shocking.

 

[Tekate]

"Russian Hackers Acted to Aid Trump in Election, U.S. Says" from "The New York Times"

"WASHINGTON — American intelligence agencies have concluded with 'high confidence' that Russia acted covertly in the latter stages of the presidential campaign to harm Hillary Clinton’s chances and promote Donald J. Trump, according to senior administration officials.

They based that conclusion, in part, on another finding — which they say was also reached with high confidence — that the Russians hacked the Republican National Committee’s computer systems in addition to their attacks on Democratic organizations, but did not release whatever information they gleaned from the Republican networks.

In the months before the election, it was largely documents from Democratic Party systems that were leaked to the public. Intelligence agencies have concluded that the Russians gave the Democrats’ documents to WikiLeaks.

...​

Intelligence officials and private cybersecurity companies believe that the Democratic National Committee was hacked by two different Russian cyberunits. One, called 'Cozy Bear' or 'A.P.T. 29' by some Western security experts, is believed to have spent months inside the D.N.C. computer network, as well as other government and political institutions, but never made public any of the documents it took. (A.P.T. stands for 'Advanced Persistent Threat,' which usually describes a sophisticated state-sponsored cyberintruder.)

The other, the G.R.U.-controlled unit known as 'Fancy Bear,' or 'A.P.T. 28,' is believed to have created two outlets on the internet, Guccifer 2.0 and DCLeaks, to make Democratic documents public. Many of the documents were also provided to WikiLeaks, which released them over many weeks before the Nov. 8 election."

AGBF

AGBF, the FBI won't commit to the same level of infiltration - because Comey and republicans run the FBI and Trump again uses the tactic of 'they lie' rather than even read security reports.... I've become dejected about the truthfulness of any of our officials.. Comey knew about THIS! a sovereign power nefariously interfering in the USA election, but he ran to Congress about a laptop that Huma Abedin's husband had? that had some of Huma's emails? all not threatening to our democracy? Shows me in no uncertain terms that we are broken as a country, so much gerrymandering by republican leaders has lead to this, a kleptocracy, run by a poor excuse for a man.. he will ruin the air for my grands and the future of the world, wow how pathetic. Putting Goldman Sachs in charge of the economy? when he said he would get rid of the swamp.. As to Clinton and her lying, people still believe after so many many panels set up to investigate Benghazi, they believe she had a hand in the deaths. I mean how sad it is that people say "liberal press" when all they read is ALT right press... Fox barely covered the Russian influence on this election, that is effing HUGE (to quote our soon to be moronic pres).. this is huge, what the hell would the 'founders' say? Russia is not even a communist country anymore, it's a kleptocracy also, Putin is worth 200 billion dollars (I mean talk about Hillary and her danged talks that made her rich (to the same people Trump now has in charge).. this is all so mind boggling to me, 63 years old and lived thru Nixon, Reagan the destroyer (and debt maker and war monger and liar) The bush boys, I lived thru all these 'men' who cared little for poverty, but cared for privilege and money.. now we have the Trumpster, the end of a long line of self centered meglomaniacs at the wheel.. it's beyond my comprehension how anyone could vote for this 'person', blind eye to his thin skin and his hate of women.. I say, if there is a god, it more than took the last train to the coast.. just appalling to me this chump could go to bed with Putin.

 

[Madam Bijoux]

Might we have another Watergate on our hands?

 

[redwood66]

Thanks for the post Deb. I do think that Trump should not push this to the side and say what he is saying about the intelligence community. Those people (other than his appointees) will still be there when he takes office and he needs them to do their job. But if the ones at the top in an agency are monkeying with info to make something look more favorable to an agenda then that is a problem that should be rooted out. We cannot have foreign actors, state sponsored or not, gaining access. The work the agency people on the ground do is crucial and often dangerous.

 

[House Cat]

In an interview with Fox, Trump said that this is another tactic of the Democrats because they lost the election.

Here are his words about taking the daily intelligence briefings once he becomes president:
"He also indicated that, as president, he would not take the daily intelligence briefing that President Obama and his predecessors have received. Mr. Trump, who has received the briefing sparingly as president-elect, said that it was often repetitive and that he would take it “when I need it.” He said his vice president, Mike Pence, would receive the daily briefing.
“You know, I’m, like, a smart person. I don’t have to be told the same thing in the same words every single day for the next eight years,” he said. He added that he had instructed the officials who give the briefing: “‘If something should change from this point, immediately call me. I’m available on a one-minute’s notice.’”

I''m so happy he will be taking our safety seriously.

 

[redwood66]

Well that is a different way of looking at things for sure. I can see his point from a perspective of time wasting though, but his way of speaking is really going to take some getting used to. I hate meetings and in government I had to attend and put on quite a few. If I had to go to one that just read the same exact thing as yesterday and the day before ad nauseum, it would drive me batty. This actually should be a red flag to a manager that likes to get things accomplished and be productive without wasting time. If you are having the same briefing with no changes or bringing in new discussion isn't that a colossal waste of time of all who attend? These people are on the taxpayer's dime. This goes for all the agencies. If you are sitting in a meeting every day with no new material then you are wasting my money because you are not working on issues. JMHO.

 

[E B]

With all due respect, 1) we're not talking about the manager at the Kinko's on Main, we're talking about the highest office in the country, in an unstable political climate and 2) he's isn't even President yet! And given all we know about him, we're supposed to assume he's skipping these briefings because he's figured out a more effective way of Presidenting before he's even had to do it? He said it himself, in the snippet from House Cat: He's, like, smart, and the CIA's findings on Russia? Nah. Doesn't believe it. He knows more than the generals, remember? All intelligence officials, now.

We were told by multiple sources (and seen with our own eyes) that he's a raging narcissist with the attention span of a golfish. THAT's why he's skipping intelligence briefings. Well, one reason. Why he's rejecting CIA findings on Russia? Well, that part is becoming more and more obvious by the day.

 

[redwood66]

I was not making excuses for him. I was pointing out an observation that I have had of government so you can bang your head against the wall if you like. Your post seems to indicate you think me obtuse. Far from it. I want government to operate efficiently and the point I made is valid and I have seen it. It gets worse the higher up you go in some instances. Meetings for the sake of meetings, meetings to discuss future meetings, meetings to justify your position, etc. If you agree with that kind of operation then fine but I do not.

 

[E B]

I was not making excuses for him. I was pointing out an observation that I have had of government so you can bang your head against the wall if you like. Your post seems to indicate you think me obtuse. Far from it. I want government to operate efficiently and the point I made is valid and I have seen it. It gets worse the higher up you go in some instances. Meetings for the sake of meetings, meetings to discuss future meetings, meetings to justify your position, etc. If you agree with that kind of operation then fine but I do not.

I don't find you obtuse at all, but there is no comparing the job of the President to, well, anything. There are rapid developments happening all over the world on a daily basis, that the leader of our country must be briefed on, in one way or another. There is no way around that. Trump truly believes, and he says this HIMSELF, that he knows more than intelligence officials. Russia's meddling is just an example, and any president who didn't have his hands dirty would be concerned. Why isn't he?

The head banging is for....so much. With each new day comes another scarier chapter of the sh*tshow, and we have a thin-skinned man with NPD who loves both power and revenge at the helm.

 

[Calliecake]

Intelligence briefings do not fall into the "not important meeting" catagory.

 

[redwood66]

I was not making excuses for him. I was pointing out an observation that I have had of government so you can bang your head against the wall if you like. Your post seems to indicate you think me obtuse. Far from it. I want government to operate efficiently and the point I made is valid and I have seen it. It gets worse the higher up you go in some instances. Meetings for the sake of meetings, meetings to discuss future meetings, meetings to justify your position, etc. If you agree with that kind of operation then fine but I do not.

I don't find you obtuse at all, but there is no comparing the job of the President to, well, anything. There are rapid developments happening all over the world on a daily basis, that the leader of our country must be briefed on, in one way or another. There is no way around that. Trump truly believes, and he says this HIMSELF, that he knows more than intelligence officials. Russia's meddling is just an example, and any president who didn't have his hands dirty would be concerned. Why isn't he?

The head banging is for....so much. With each new day comes another scarier chapter of the sh*tshow, and we have a thin-skinned man with NPD who loves both power and revenge at the helm.

I hope that he is able to handle all of this. That is all I can do at this point. I have already said that his brushing it off is concerning further up in this thread. I do not take everything he says literally either. But my view of government is that it is bloated beyond any semblance of efficiency. I have seen the stupidest decisions made and when I hear "That's the way we have always done it" I want to pull my effing hair out. It has been a joke for a long time that if you want to spend 10X (or more) as much as necessary for something or take 10X longer to complete the task then ask the government to do it. They are an exercise in inefficiency.

Maybe there is a better way to handle things? I don't know. He must take our security seriously.

 

[redwood66]

Intelligence briefings do not fall into the "not important meeting" catagory.

That was not my point CC.

 

[AGBF]

Thanks for the post Deb. I do think that Trump should not push this to the side and say what he is saying about the intelligence community. Those people (other than his appointees) will still be there when he takes office and he needs them to do their job. But if the ones at the top in an agency are monkeying with info to make something look more favorable to an agenda then that is a problem that should be rooted out. We cannot have foreign actors, state sponsored or not, gaining access. The work the agency people on the ground do is crucial and often dangerous.

And we cannot have foreign governments meddling in our affairs.

Here are excerpts from a "New York Times" editorial which ties up the facts and makes the argument succinctly.

"Russia’s Hand in America’s Election"

"It’s not hard to see why Russia would have been tempted to tip the scales in America’s presidential election. American defense officials have been warning about Russia’s capabilities and dangerous intentions, calling Moscow the gravest threat to the United States.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, made it clear her administration would redouble efforts to punish and isolate Moscow for war crimes in Syria’s civil war and its aggression toward Ukraine and other neighbors. 'I’ve stood up to Russia,' Ms. Clinton said during a debate in the fall. 'I’ve taken Putin on and I would do that as president.'

In Mr. Trump, the Russians had reason to see a malleable political novice, one who had surrounded himself with Kremlin lackeys. Mr. Trump bragged that the Russian president had once called him 'brilliant.' In July, Mr. Trump said he hoped Russia would hack and divulge more of Mrs. Clinton’s emails, an astonishing invitation to a foreign power that appeared already to be meddling in an American election.

In recent days, the scope and intent of Russia’s suspected involvement in the election has come into sharper focus. New disclosures by American officials now reveal that intelligence agencies concluded with 'high confidence' that a desire to undermine American faith in the electoral system morphed into an effort to hurt Mrs. Clinton’s chances. One critical piece of evidence for this assessment was that suspected Russian hackers broke into the computer networks of both the Republican and Democratic national committees, but only leaked damaging emails from the latter.


At the urging of Democratic lawmakers, President Obama has asked the director of national intelligence to conduct a 'full review' of Russia’s hidden hand in the election, the White House announced Friday. The inquiry, which is to be completed before Mr. Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20, is an important, if belated, step.

Weeks before the election, Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, expressed skepticism about the intelligence reports and warned the White House that publicizing them would amount to a partisan act. The Republicans, however, did not protest when James Comey, the F.B.I. director, disclosed in a letter to Congress that a stash of emails found on Anthony Weiner’s computer appeared relevant to the investigation into Mrs. Clinton’s use of a private server. By the time Mr. Comey said there was nothing new, the innuendo bomb against Mrs. Clinton had exploded and the damage was done.

In a Fox News interview on Sunday, Mr. Trump dismissed the intelligence assessment about Russian meddling with contempt, and accused Democrats of 'putting it out because they suffered one of the greatest defeats in the history of politics in this country.'

Some Republican lawmakers recognize the importance of standing up to Russia and taking steps to restore faith in the electoral system and institutions. A bipartisan group, led by Senator John McCain, a Republican, pledged Sunday to get to the bottom of Russia’s role, noting that the possibility that Moscow shaped the outcome of America’s election ought to alarm every American. 'This cannot become a partisan issue,' said the statement, which was also supported by Senator Charles Schumer, the incoming leader of the Senate Democrats. Among the unanswered questions is whether anyone within Mr. Trump’s inner circle coordinated with the Kremlin and whether Moscow spread fake news to hurt Mrs. Clinton.

(snip)

Mr. Trump should be leading the call for a thorough investigation, since it would be the only way to remove this darkening cloud from his presidency. Failing to resolve the questions about Russia would feed suspicion among millions of Americans that a dominant theme of his candidacy turned out to be true: The election was indeed rigged."

AGBF

 

[redwood66]

I believe Congress should investigate and Trump should not get in the way. Both sides are guilty of partisanship though, the dems are not pure as the driven snow.

 

[AGBF]

I believe Congress should investigate and Trump should not get in the way. Both sides are guilty of partisanship though, the dems are not pure as the driven snow.

Where did that come from?

 

[redwood66]

I believe Congress should investigate and Trump should not get in the way. Both sides are guilty of partisanship though, the dems are not pure as the driven snow.

Where did that come from?

My keyboard. I meant the dems in Congress Deb. Not you.