Tag: Vladimir Putin

Trump’s Putin Crush, and Other Signs of Guilt

The following article by Steve Chapman was posted on the Creators.com website June 22, 2017:

Image: ariadna via Morguefile.com

How do you identify the Trump supporters at a football game? Easy. They’re the ones who leave at halftime. They assume they know the outcome. They don’t realize the teams will return to the field. Or they think the game is taking way too long.

That’s the equivalent of their belief that the suspicions of collusion between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russian operatives have been dispelled and should not be pursued any longer. Since former FBI Director James Comey testified on Capitol Hill, the Trump camp has declared victory. Continue reading “Trump’s Putin Crush, and Other Signs of Guilt”

Putin: ‘Patriotic’ Hackers May Have Targeted The West

The following article by Mirren Gidda of Newsweek was posted on the National Memo website June 2, 2017:

(Don Emmert/Agence France-Presse; Natalia Kolesnikova/Getty Images)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has weighed in on the furor surrounding alleged Russian hacking. After multiple claims from Western officials that Russia has interfered in national elections, Putin conceded that some “patriotic” people may have been pushed to “fight against those who speak badly about Russia.”

During a meeting Thursday with editors of international news agencies, Putin nevertheless rejected allegations that the Russian state had meddled in the U.S. or French elections. According to AP, the president also denied claims that Russia might try to shape the September 24 German federal election. “We never engaged in that on a state level, and have no intention of doing so,” Putin said. He added that he has a good relationship with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, despite her criticism of Moscow during a joint press conference early May. Continue reading “Putin: ‘Patriotic’ Hackers May Have Targeted The West”

e French President Macron blasts Russian state-owned media as ‘propaganda’

NOTE:  We wish our president was willing to call the head of the Russian government on its interference in our elections and beyond rather than seeming to use the same talking points at Mr. Putin.  But, that’s not the case.

The following article by James McAuley was posted on the Washington Post website May 29, 2017:

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a blunt greeting to Vladi­mir Putin on Monday, criticizing the use of chemical weapons by Syria’s ­Russian-backed government and blasting two Russian state-owned media organizations as “organs of influence and propaganda.”

Macron had invited the Russian leader to France to reset a relationship that has turned increasingly sour. Putin did more than any other foreign leader to undermine Macron’s legitimacy in this country’s recent presidential election, meeting with his far-right opponent during the campaign. Continue reading “e French President Macron blasts Russian state-owned media as ‘propaganda’”

House majority leader to colleagues in 2016: ‘I think Putin pays’ Trump

The Post’s Adam Entous discusses a 2016 conversation of GOP leaders in which House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) made an explosive claim. (Video: Bastien Inzaurralde/Photo: Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

Putin offers to provide Congress with details of Trump disclosures to Russian envoys

The following article by Andrew Roth was posted on the Washington Post website May 17, 2017:

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his visit to the new studio complex of television of channel ‘Russia Today’ in Moscow in June 2013. (© POOL New/Reuters)

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday he would be willing to provide the U.S. Congress a record of President Trump’s meeting with top Russian envoys, bringing scoffs on Capitol Hill that the Kremlin could help shed light on the disclosures of reportedly highly classified intelligence.

The provocative offer for the Kremlin to share evidence with U.S. oversight committees about the Oval Office meeting came with the caveat that the request for the transcript would have to come from the Trump administration. Continue reading “Putin offers to provide Congress with details of Trump disclosures to Russian envoys”

Russia and the Heartland

The following article was posted on the TrumpAccountable.org website May 8, 2017:

Sally Yates’ testimony in the Senate today and Putin’s unsuccessful attempts to influence the French election over the weekend are again displacing taxes and health care in the headlines. Instead, morning shows and newspapers lead with teasers about Yates’ testimony and further stories about the Trump administration’s weak vetting of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

While Democrats in Congress, along with Lindsey Graham and John McCain, are rightly concerned about the details of Russian meddling, many Americans outside the DC bubble are less concerned. Here are 5 reasons Americans should be more worried about Donald Trump and Russia: Continue reading “Russia and the Heartland”

Russians Charged With Treason Worked in Office Linked to Election Hacking

The following article by Scott Shane, David E. Sanger and Andrew E. Kramer was posted on the New York Times website January 27, 2017:

WASHINGTON — Ever since American intelligence agencies accused Russia of trying to influence the American election, there have been questions about the proof they had to support the accusation.

But the news from Moscow may explain how the agencies could be so certain that it was the Russians who hacked the email of Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Two Russian intelligence officers who worked on cyberoperations and a Russian computer security expert have been arrested and charged with treason for providing information to the United States, according to multiple Russian news reports. Continue reading “Russians Charged With Treason Worked in Office Linked to Election Hacking”

Declassified report says Putin ‘ordered’ effort to undermine faith in U.S. election and help Trump

The following article by Greg Miller and Adam Entous was posted on the Washington Post website January 6, 2016:

Russia carried out a comprehensive cyber campaign to sabotage the U.S. presidential election, an operation that was ordered by Russian President Vladi­mir Putin and ultimately sought to help elect Donald Trump, U.S. intelligence agencies concluded in a remarkably blunt assessment released Friday. Continue reading “Declassified report says Putin ‘ordered’ effort to undermine faith in U.S. election and help Trump”