Rachel Maddow's Tape Release Exposes Devin Nunes As The Traitor He Is

As I pointed out in a post from March, 2017:

"Devin Nunes by his feckless and reckless actions confirmed once and for all what many of us already believed: he is merely a Trump toady doing his master's work. After all, this turkey  served on Trump’s national security transition team, so why would he not seek to do all possible to cover for his Fuhrer?"

Now, with tape evidence disclosed Wednesday night by Rachel Maddow, Nunes has been revealed as a Trump quisling on steroids.  Maddow said it was provided to her by the progressive group Fuse Washington, for which onemember paid good money  to attend the fundraising event.for McMorris Rogers (R-WA).

Speaking on the topic of the probe, Nunes said in the recording: "If Sessions won't un-recuse and Mueller won't clear the president, we're the only ones — which is really the danger. That's why I keep — and thank you for saying it, by the way — I mean, we have to keep all these seats."

E.g.

TRMS Exclusive: Devin Nunes at fundraiser audio clip 4 - MSNBC.com

In other words, Nunes  believes that his Obersturmfuhrer, Herr Traitor Trump

will  be in genuine  political peril if Republicans lose control of Congress next year, following the November midterms.  This "disaster" would mean Nunes would also lose control of the House Intelligence Committee that he chairs. Without that authority, the Trump-enabling  GOP would have much less power to hamper the Justice Department's work, as Nunes has repeatedly tried to do (including by demanding classified documents from the DOJ which exposure would compromise sources, i.e. foreign intercept sources.)

Without that authority, Nunes will also not be able to pursue his deranged (genuine) witch  hunt against the FBI, the DOJ and Rod Rosenstein, including the detestable and perverse effort to impeach Rosenstein. In other words, in a real political sense the miserable little ass would be neutered. 

It's clear by now that Nunes has assumed the job of top Traitor protector,  willing to go the 'whole hog' to obstruct justice in Dotard's favor.  This priority objective was self evident from that released tape given he broadcast the unambiguous intent  to undermine the investigation.   He did this by emphasizing retention of  control of the House as an alternative to any action by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Recall Sessions is recused from the investigation and all related matters on the advice of ethics experts, including taking control of the probe or to Mueller finding the president to be innocent.

Nunes has become so single-minded in his effort to provide cover for the Traitor, he's blind to the political liability Trump has now become. (E.g. 'Trump's Ultimate Disruption',  p. A13, WSJ  yesterday by Dan Henninger).  This has since metastasized after Dotard went after the Koch brothers. As Henninger wrote,  this is not merely another disparaging "Twitter ICBM" with no consequence, i.e.

"Donald Trump's disruptions to the domestic and global political order come and go so fast it can be difficult to assess their significance....we shouldn't let Trump's feud with Charles and David Koch get flushed like so many others.  It was a significant event.

If it is Donald Trump's strategy to suck all the political oxygen out of the room and choke off his competitors many voters will be driven elsewhere to get air...Beyond a likely GOP loss of the House what lies ahead isn't clear. This is Donald Trump's ultimate disruption: an American electorate in a state of constant flux and agitation and flux."

In other words, the GOP voters can't be depended upon to help Nunes or his quisling collaborators retain the House and keep Trump protected.  But Nunes is too blind to see that it's his pet buffoon's very disruptive and bombastic nature - as well as attacking the "hands" (Koch bros.) that feed...errr,  fund GOP candidates- to blame for the likely loss of GOP control.  This elicits the question of why Nunes is so determined to stick with this political albatross - when he has to now know the Koch feud is the last nail in the GOP's House coffin.

Even the WSJ editorial yesterday ('The Red Wave Illusion' p. A14) makes it clear only those totally detached from reality remain convinced "after the clear message from Tuesday's election contest"- that a "Red wave" is still coming in November,

It is past time Nunes the quisling also got the message and grasped he's protecting a political lame duck.

Senate Intel Conclusion Proves House Investigation Is Bogus And Nunes Is A Traitor

"This conclusion is bittersweet for the country because unity is the best antidote against Russian interference or interference from any country. ..So the House Republicans are now isolated. Isolated from the bipartisan report from Senate Democrats and Republicans, isolated from the intelligence community assessment and just isolated from the facts."     - Rep. Eric Swalwell, last night on 'The Last Word'


 Now that the Senate Intelligence Committee has issued its conclusion - that Russia interfered in the 2016 election and this was to help Trump - it stands in stark contrast to the  conclusion of the House Intel Committee led by chairman Devin Nunes.  Which of these is bogus, and which is the conclusion you can trust? The answer boils down to one of essential character of the prime actors and in the case of the House Committee, we have a traitor - Devin Nunes - leading the charge. This was to offer political cover for Donnie Dotard. Hence the House investigation's conclusion isn't worth any more than that of the Warren Commission confected by LBJ, about an ounce of doggie lickspittle. See e.g.

http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2018/03/house-intel-committee-case-closed-no.html

As I observed in that post:

"Who would ever have believed another abominable "investigation"  like the politically motivated Warren Commission's could ever be resurrected again? For those who need a memory jog, this charade was conceived by LBJ to provide protective cover for himself by launching into a pseudo-investigation of the assassination of JFK.   Like the just concluded House Intelligence Committee - largely run as a charade to protect Trump by his water boy Devin Nunes- the Warren Commission was designed as an elaborate foil to protect Johnson."

And  quoting former Justice Dept. specialist and spokesperson Matt Miller:

"This Intelligence Committee Report is a farce in so many ways. It's a farce in view of what happened - allowing witnesses to come in and refuse to answer questions and then no follow up, no subpoenas, no attempt to hold anyone in contempt. And it's a farce in claiming Putin wasn't  trying to elect Trump. Not just because the intelligence agencies have concluded otherwise, but a grand jury of 23 average Americans returned an indictment that explicitly said the Russians were trying to elect Donald Trump. They're ignoring that evidence completely ." 

And as for Devin Nunes, we know he's a traitor and consummate bad actor with deplorable character from his actual actions which those of us who've paid attention have tracked from last year's antics, e.g.
http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2018/02/dem-memo-proves-nunes-is-lying-punk-and.html

And:

http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2017/03/devin-nunes-leaks-classified-info.html

And:

http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2017/03/devin-nunes-exposed-as-bannons-punk-and.html


That Nunes is a bad actor and purposefully disruptive agent became obvious in the midst of another records dispute last month. Then the little wretch threatened to hold Assistant AG Rod Rosenstein in contempt, or impeach him. This was if the DOJ did not grant access to a nearly complete document (including FISA warrant) used to open the Russia investigation. The sleazebag rat attempted to exercise power far beyond his warp and woof. Fortunately, Rosenstein rebuffed him and the other GOP Toads with a rate media appearance that he wold not give in to "extortion".

All of which has pointed to the House Intelligence Committee as a smokescreen and political disinformation unit to protect Trump, as opposed to adhering to the  Constitution and getting at the truth. This is why the House Intel Committee found "no evidence of coordination between Russia and Trump's campaign."   This in 180 degree opposition to the Senate Committee, which has been left to act the part of the sole adults and show the House investigation for the clown act it is, and who Nunes really is. A transparent vermin - perhaps 2-legged roach- who professes not to want to hurt any source, merely to "get documents related to his investigation".  Absurd when one considers he has refused to even question all key parties in the investigation, including Steve Bannon, Hope Hicks,  George Papadopoulos -  who had admitted contacts with the Russians long before Christoper Steele's dossier emerged. Also:

-  Carter Page, deemed a key Russian agent, implicated from 2013 via intel intercepts and other communications, and:

- Wilbur Ross, who had become head of a Cyprus bank that helped Russian oligarchs launder money e.g.

https://boingboing.net/2017/02/28/new-secretary-of-commerce-wil.html

Taken in context and all his actions (since last year)  in concert, Nunes M.O. is clear: to sow discord and court endless conflict to provide cover for the traitor Trump.  There is no issue or ambiguity on that. And by providing cover for a traitor, Nunes has shown himself to be of the same breed.

In Nunes' most recent encore, he's issued increasingly bold demands for access to some of the Justice Department's most sensitive case files.  As former DOJ spokesman Matt Miller has pointed out, the release of such files into Nunes' hands would disclose highly confidential methods and sources, including intercepts from foreign agents who would then be compromised. In other words, Nunes has reprised his M.O. as an infamous traitor in the sordid series of continuing escalations, confrontations.  As I said in an earlier blog post, this bastard needs to be hung, drawn and quartered. (Janice has suggested burning in a dumpster fire after.)

http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2018/01/devin-nunes-ought-to-be-hung-as-traitor.html

In the latest episode, reported in the NY Times four days ago ('Wielding Threats, Nunes Attack Justice Dept'.) we learn this deranged punk "demanded more documents and related materials for his investigation into allegations of surveillance abuse by federal law enforcement officials".  His reckless mission pitted this miscreant not only against the DOJ, but the FBI and intelligence community and intel -linked sources inside Trump's WH itself - all of whom warned "the disclosure could endanger a long time source who is aiding the special counsel's investigation."

A normal and honorable citizen would respect such warnings, understanding that exposing this source is no more justified than how Valerie Plame was exposed in the Bush Jr. era..  But Devin Nunes is no normal, honorable citizen, he's a traitorous rat who's dedicated himself to butt kissing Trump and put what little reputation he has on the line for that primo traitor,

Not to be outdone, WSJ harpy and  long time Trump stooge Kimberley Strassel tried to come to Nunes' rescue in her last disinfo piece, https://www.wsj.com/articles/about-that-fbi-source-1525992611

Bloviating and blurtating that:

"I believe I know the name of the informant, but my intelligence sources did not provide it and refuse to confirm it. It would therefore be irresponsible to publish it."

Not to mention, putting your own neck into Robert Mueller's noose!  But the rest of her screed merely regurgitates all of the House Intel conspiracy theories and Nunes' own psychotic ideations, e.g. "the FBI played dirty in its surveillance warrant against Carter Page."  No, they did not!  It was totally justified given Page had met with Russkie FSB agents and the meetings documented by foreign (e.g. German, UK, Dutch) intercepts. But I guess Strassel has no problem betraying the trust of foreign sources.

In the end, the Senate Intelligence report puts the kibosh not only on Strassel's outlandish ruminations but on Nunes' and his collaborators' perfidy and treachery.  To see more details of its report, go to:

Senate Intel: Russia waged 'unprecedented' cyber campaign on U.S. .

Update (5/20):  Trump Proves He's A Damned Traitor With Tweet "Order" to DOJI

Barely days after I wrote this post, Trump has come out and hung himself as a damned traitor with his own words.

As per a NY Times front page article ('Trump Demands Inquiry Into Whether Justice Dept. Infiltrated or Surveilled His Campaign') Trump tweeted earlier today:

"I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes,  and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!”

Demand all you want you psychotic,  SOB clown boy.  What you have proven here is express,  undeniable intent to block an existing investigation by trying to confect a bogus counter investigation.  Obstruction of justice on steroids, you MOFO turd. Enjoy your games while you can, with the buffoon Giuliani helping you - along with the other fool Nunes. You won't be around much longer, Dotard..

It's Not A Stretch To Say Nunes' House Intel Committee Bears Analogs To LBJ's Warren Commission

Devin Nunes - turned the House Intelligence Committee into a political charade for Trump and his own personal PR machine to attack other investigations. In may ways the whole fiasco - and Nunes' role in it- bears numerous similarities to LBJ's use of the Warren Commission to cover his ass, and deflect serious scrutiny, in that case - into the JFK assassination.

"This Intelligence Committee Report is a farce in so many ways. It's a farce in view of what happened - allowing witnesses to come in and refuse to answer questions and then no follow up, no subpoenas, no attempt to hold anyone in contempt. And it's a farce in claiming Putin wasn't  trying to elect Trump. Not just because the intelligence agencies have concluded otherwise, but a grand jury of 23 average Americans returned an indictment that explicitly said the Russians were trying to elect Donald Trump. They're ignoring that evidence completely ."  Former DOJ specialist Matt Miller, on 'All In' last night


Who would ever have believed another abominable "investigation"  like the politically motivated Warren Commission's could ever be resurrected again? For those who need a memory jog, this charade was conceived by LBJ to provide protective cover for himself by launching into a pseudo-investigation of the assassination of JFK.   Like the just concluded House Intelligence Committee - largely run as a charade to protect Trump by his water boy Devin Nunes- the Warren Commission was designed as an elaborate foil to protect Johnson.  And as I will show,  many of the negative aspects applicable to the WC also applied to the Nunes' fake House Intel investigation, including omitting key witnesses, ignoring issuing subpoenas, not calling back witnesses and not properly questioning others.

Faced with clearing his name from any suspicious involvement in Kennedy's assassination  (though Jackie suspected his role until her dying day - as she revealed in taped conversations to historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr.) he first attempted to form a “Texas Commission”, with staff entirely composed of Texans. He soon realized this wouldn't wash as it would appear too cozy, too inbred.

So he conceived of going for name cachet and gravitas in then Chief Justice Earl Warren,  to head the "Warren Commission". Johnson needed the credibility of Warren so the media would accept the commission as a bona fide government entity as opposed to a creature of Johnson's whim and machinations. The problem was Warren iitially rejected LBJ's pleas  to lead the Commission. But the ol'  polecat Lyndon wasn't done.  He managed to coerce Warren into service by threatening exposure of his FBI files. Johnson's taped words were - after speaking to Warren (cf. Michael R. Beschloss, Taking Charge:The Johnson White House Tapes 1963-64, 1997, p. 72, as cited by Russ Baker, in 'Family of Secrets', p. 46): 

"Warren told me he wouldn't do it under any circumstances...He came down here and told me 'No'...twice. And I just pulled out what[FBI Director} Hoover told me about a little incident in Mexico City....And he started crying and said: 'I won't turn you down...I'll just do whatever you say' "

The incident showed LBJ would  even resort to rank blackmail to get his way to endow his political whitewash with name cachet and specious validity.  In an analogous sense we've seen how Devin Nunes would resort to actual treason - via release of classified files- to confer false gravitas on his House Intel committee investigation, even after he'd recused himself.

And just as Nunes cherry-picked and distorted witness testimony as well as evidence, so also the W C distorted and cherry-picked its own evidence. For example, Commissioner Gerald Ford altered the initial autopsy report from:

A bullet had entered his back at a point slightly above the shoulder to the right of the spine."

To read:

"A bullet had entered the back of his neck slightly to the right of the spine."

This was done to conform with  WC lawyer Arlen Specter'single bullet myth. Thr death certificate revealed the back wound to be at the president's "third thoracic vertebra.”  The neck has seven CERVICAL vertebrae, and this observed and verified wound was described as three THORACIC vertebrae lower than the neck itself..  Ford insisted this was “a small change, …intended to clarify meaning, not alter history”. But alter history is exactly what it did! For by altering the original autopsy report, Ford and his cohorts succeeded in conferring a measure of validity on Specter’s single bullet theory. This is despite the fact that analysis of the resulting trajectory doesn’t even conform to basic laws of Newtonian dynamics.

This evoked memory of Nunes' performance in March last year when he ran to the White House claiming to have "new information' about the House committee's findings.  In truth, he did not release any real information, he only put up an elaborate facade  by going hysterical over the "unmasking" of Trump campaign personnel - which was totally valid given foreign intel intercepts had shown their communications with the Russians.  which induced the media to make its own interpretations. Hence, he created a smokescreen for what he was really up to, i.e. distracting from the Mueller investigation while trying to impugn it at the same time..  This is analogous to the smokescreen created by Ford, Specter and the Warren Commission in their alteration of the autopsy report in the JFK assassination.

Nunes' performance  had all the hallmarks of a classic disinformation and obfuscation hit which I've seen many times before in other investigations, not only the WC. These disinfo hits usually occur just as said "noose" is tightening or when an investigation is finally coming toward a unifying resolution.  For example, just as the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) in 1978 was finally coming to a definitive conclusion for a grassy knoll head shot in the JFK assassination, based on acoustic tests by Weiss and Barger, two MIT scientists, up pops Norman Ramsey - an outlier no one ever heard of. Never mind, Ramsey's panel (with little or no experience and background compared to the MIT team) managed to muddy the waters sufficiently by their absurd interjections. The Ramsey Panel analysis was alleged to have  'refuted' the original Weiss -Barger study, but in fact only showed that the Weiss group had omitted some considerations. The Ramsey analysis certainly does not 'nullify' the Weiss/Barger analysis since up to now it has not been  reproduced, so cannot be accepted as a bona fide scientific conclusion. 

Perhaps the most cogent similarity lies in the failure to call key witnesses. In the case of the WC, as reported by former Justice Dept. agent Walt Brown, 200 witnesses- "each with knowledge at least as valuable as that given by the 488 commission witnesses" were not asked questions.   These included:

- Tom Alyea (who allegedly first filmed the sniper's 'nest')

 - Charles A. Crenshaw (Parkland surgical resident at the time – who observed the gaping rear head wound)

 -   Julia Ann Mercer - spotted a truck on the triple underpass with a rifle inside, driven by Jack Ruby

 -  William Harper -  found the occipital bone fragment 25’  behind the limo

 -  Guy Banister - ran the Camp St. office from which Oswald  distributed leaflets;

 -   Joseph Milteer -the right wing zealot who predicted the assassination by sniper;

 -  Sergio Archacha Smith -believed to be the person who fired at Gen. Edwin Walker;

  - Mary Moorman -took the Moorman photo at the instant of the head shot;

   - Aquilla Clemons - observed the Tippitt shooting, and saw another man – not Oswald, doing it;

   - Silvia Duran - consul employee who could have testified to the identity of the ‘Oswald' seen in Mexico City;

-  Gordon Arnold : stood on the grass in front of the knoll's picket fence when a shot made him hit the dirt - (later sent to Alaska);

-  Orville Nix - took the Nix film from the opposite side of Elm St. to Abraham  Zapruder ;

-  Mary Muchmore- whose original film was cut/mutilated on return;

In the case of the House Intelligence Committee, member Democrats have estimated that "scores of key witnesses" were never brought forth for questioning.  These have included:

- George Papadopoulos who had admitted contacts with the Russians long before Christoper Steele's dossier emerged

-  Carter Page, deemed a key Russian agent, implicated from 2013 via intel intercepts and other communications

- Wilbur Ross, who had become head of a Cyprus bank that helped Russian oligarchs launder money e.g.

https://boingboing.net/2017/02/28/new-secretary-of-commerce-wil.html

Other witnesses, e.g.  Eric Prince, up to his ears in shady dealing with the Trumpies in the Seychelles, were brought in but not fully questioned. For example, Prince may have been key to setting up a Trump-Russia backchannel through an Emirati conduit, but this was never pursued/ Much like the alleged Oswald pot shots at Gen. Edwin Walker were never pursued by the WC. It is worthwhile to note that not even Walker himself, in a deposition, believed Oswald made the shot.  (This was supported by Robert Surrey, one of Walker’s aides who spotted two men prowling around the residence days before the shooting.  The car was described as a 1957 Chevrolet and one of the man as dark-complexioned.)

Other superficially vetted  House Intelligence witnesses included Jared Kushner, and Donald Trump Jr.. Neither of whom fully answered questions or provided ancillary documents to support their claims.

In other cases (e.g. Hope Hicks, Steve Bannon) there was total stonewalling, under some specious "order"  from the White House.   NO subpoenas were issued by the House Committee to force any cooperation whatsoever. They didn't even try.  So it is kind of choice to read now, according to one House member, a Texas Republican:

"We found no evidence that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it colluded with the Russians,"

So just like the Warrenites concluded no conspiracy after their pseudo investigation so also the House Intel Committee  concluded that no conspiracy existed between Trumpies and Russians - despite all the evidence to the contrary.

In the case of the Kennedy assassination, it was left to the HSCA to conclude in 1979 for a "probable conspiracy" (96 percent probability) based on the 4 shots (appearing as impulses) in the acoustic record of  Weiss and Barger. In an analogous sense, it appears it will be up to the Robert Mueller investigation to find for evidence of conspiracy (often incorrectly called "collusion") in the Trump - Russia case.  In the meantime, the ranking member of the House Intel Committee - Adam Schiff - had these words to offer about the conclusion:

"By ending its oversight role in the only authorized investigation in the House, the Majority has placed the interests of protecting the President over protecting the country, and history will judge its action harshly."

Interestingly, the same general take, of mischievously "protecting a President" instead of protecting the country, could now be said of history's parsing of the Warren Commission.  We now know this was purely an elaborate political and PR charade designed to tamp down national fears and exonerate Johnson from having any role in the tragic events of Nov. 22, 1963.  As one wit put it: "To commit the perfect crime, all that's needed is to be in charge of the investigation that follows."

See also:

• Trey Gowdy admits that the Republican House Intelligence report is fundamentally wrong 

John Brennan Schools House Committee - And How The 2016 Election Was Tossed To Trump

Former CIA Director John Brenna at yesterday's open Senate Hearing.

"Frequently, individuals on a treasonous path do not even realize they're on that path until it gets to be too late,"   - Former CIA Director John Brennan yesterday before the House Intelligence Committee

Yesterday,  speaking before the House Intelligence Committee, John Brennan offered a frank assessment of Russia's aggressive approach to meddling in the 2016 election and, in the process, complicated Donald Trump's attempts to cast the whole thing as "fake news".  Brennan's statement below put the kibosh on this nonsense:

"I encountered and am aware of information and intelligence that revealed contacts and interactions between Russian officials and US persons involved in the Trump campaign that I was concerned about because of known Russian efforts to suborn such individuals. It raised questions in my mind about whether Russia was able to gain the cooperation of those individuals."

While Brennan would not specifically identify any individuals associated with the Trump campaign who had contacts with Russian officials and would not speculate as to whether there was any collusion or collaboration, he did tell lawmakers why he was concerned about the contacts occurring against the general background of Russian efforts to meddle in the election. Brennan said he'd studied Russian intelligence activities over the years, and how Russian intelligence services have been able to get people to betray their country. "Frequently, individuals on a treasonous path do not even realize they're on that path until it gets to be too late," he said.

Brennan also told the committee he believed that Russia anticipated that Clinton would be the likely winner of the presidential race, and that Russia tried to "damage and bloody" her before Election Day.  Most of this I'd written about in blog posts over the campaign including that Clinton would be the more "warlike" against the Russians. I cited for reference  her saber -rattling AIPAC speech, e.g.

http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2016/03/as-predicted-hillary-panders-to-aipac.html

HRC delivering her warnings at CA military base last year

Noting in particular, Clinton's  words:

"The best way to help Israel deal with Iran’s growing nuclear capability is to help the people of Syria overthrow the regime of Bashar Assad."

I added in my post at the time: "Seriously? And you think the Russians will just sit by, smile and allow you to do that? (As you think they'd allow you to implement 'no fly' zones)  You have to be kidding. Again, this is what Bernie referred to in the debates as lack of judgment. "

 Of course, this would have sent red alarms to the Russians too. I'd also delivered a number of posts on Clinton regarding her staunch neoconservative position  - more likely to incite a war with the Russians. All of this, btw, would have been known by anyone following Hillary Clinton's speeches and interviews.  All of it is also factual, based on HRC's actual speeches, events - not fake news!  (In the interests of full disclosure I subsequently came to see Hillary as the more responsible candidate, especially after Trump's "pussy grabbing" video with Billy Bush emerged, and the debates - which found Hillary as far more prepared and Trump trying to "wing it".)

The point I'm making is there was more than ample basis for the Russians to 'go for it' in ensuring the 2016 election outcome went to Trump. On one level there is the issue of "collusion" or conspiracy of actual Trump campaign people with Russian intel or other officials. As Brennan voiced his own concerns yesterday:

"I was worried about the number of the contacts the Russians had with U.S. persons in the Trump campaign".

His primary worry was focused on the Russians "suborning" the latter, which means inciting them to "commit wrongful acts".   In his words:

"I know what the Russians try to do. They try to suborn individuals They try to get individuals including U.S. persons to act on their behalf either wittingly or unwittingly."

We do not have the exact plan or what the Trump bunch agreed to with their Russian counterparts, but it is possible to "reverse engineer" what transpired. This is what I call the "second level" or recruiting American voters themselves to act as a weaponized faction against Clinton. Specifically, it seems voters in the three critical states (WI, MI, PA) which tossed the election to Trump had their brains 'jacked' by sophisticated propaganda stories like "pizzagate", e.g.

http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2016/12/crackpot-pizzagate-bollocks-promoted-by.html

As noted in a recent TIME account, ('Mocking Democracy- Inside Russia's Social Media War On America', May 29, p. 30)  "counterintelligence officials saw evidence of Russia using algorithmic techniques to target social media accounts of particular reporters".  Thereby, false stories could be seeded into media enclaves where - according to one CI official "the specific reporter might be slightly slanted to believing things".

With such a reporter's mind in the proverbial 'crapper', the mind virus would then easily be disseminated as the fake story - say Pizzagate- was maliciously spread.

But did this throw the election to Trump? It may well have. While the skinny is that the Russians alone sowed false stories, the TIME account identifies two Trump-linked outfits under probe as well: Cambridge Analytica - partly owned by Trump backer Robert Mercer, and Breitbart News, associated with Steve Bannon.   In effect, the collusion would have theoretically been between Russian fake news sources and the Trump-leaning organizations.

Evidence? Well so far it's indirect not direct. Examining the statistics for Google searches in the three states that tipped the election to Trump, Dem operatives found fake news searches (e.g. for "Pizzagate") were disproportionately higher in swing districts. These searches were not found in districts likely to vote Trump. Why would they? If indeed the purpose of the social media assault was to change brain orientations and beliefs against Hillary, it would not have been necessary to waste energy on the already converted. (E,g. Trump voters).

The Democratic operatives, as it turns out, created a package of background materials indicating that "someone had successfully altered the behavior in key voting districts in key states".

The notion that 77,000 voters' minds might have been changed in the 3 key states to toss the election to Trump is therefore not without some basis.

Most disturbing is that all that was needed for Trump to win the electoral vote race, and hence presidency, was for 77,000 brains to be jacked and their voting preferences altered.  Of course, I'm not saying other factors didn't also play a role, including voter suppression used on African Americans in WI who didn't have the "correct" ID and were not allowed to vote. Some estimates (e.g. in The New Republic) put that total as high as 300,000.

But the sadder aspect is how right thinking, intelligent American voter could remotely believe any of the codswallop such as peddled in the fake pedophilia story of Pizzagate. This means that unless Americans get much smarter and more percipient in future elections, we may see this sordid media gaming play out again.  The key threshold that must be crossed is more Americans being able to spot fake news garbage, as opposed to believing it and worse, acting on it.  To that end, readers might wish to circulate the link below to anyone they believe might be susceptible:

http://politics.flackcheck.org/how-to-spot-fake-news-factcheck/

See also:

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/douglas-blackmon/73024/russiagate-has-become-a-catastrophic-failure-of-leadership-and-a-debacle-from-which-the-trump-pres