Top Republican a defiant response to intelligence on Russia's alleged involvement in the election

[Botany]

Source: Business Insider

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell raised doubts about intelligence pointing to Russia trying to help President-elect Donald Trump win the election.

In a confidential briefing, McConnell reportedly expressed doubt about intelligence findings that Russia aided efforts to boost Trump, ostensibly by promoting hacked emails and documents that were damaging to the Democratic Party and its nominee, Hillary Clinton.

The Washington Post reported McConnell, who attended the briefing in September, "voiced doubts about the veracity of the intelligence."

Citing several unnamed officials, The Post wrote that McConnell threatened to rebuke the Obama administration if it publicly challenged Russia.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/mitch-mcconnell-cia-russia-trump-election-2016-12

---

This is called treason and or a coup. Did McConnell know that the election was rigged
so he then blocked President Obama's pick for SCOTUS?

Hillary needs to challenge the results of the election and call for an audit of the vote.

[safeinOhio]

1. Appeasement.

[Botany]

3. McConnell would rather have Vlad Putin take control of the White House then let ....

.... a democrat win. And how many down ticket races were rigged too?

And who all knew about the Russians rigging the elections?
Trump?
McConnell?
Paul Ryan?
Bannon?

[Dustlawyer]

9. Given all of the Trump campaign's Russian connections that went in and out of his campaign

I am sure Trump knew the Russian fix was in.

[wordpix]

72. Turtle knows more than 17 intel/defense agencies including CIA

That's what the Turtle wants you to believe

[safeinOhio]

5. Repaying Putin.....

First thing will be to concede Poland to him.

[malthaussen]

27. Baltic states. And Ukraine is still not a done deal.

But the actual sequence doesn't matter. It appears the strategy is to rebuild Great Russia and join against China. That's how I read it.

-- Mal

[KingCharlemagne]

85. Poland??? WTF??? Putin has shown no interest whatsoever

in re-acquiring Poland, nor even a rump Ukraine. Now removing NATO SAMs and ABMs from Polish territory, sure. That's a rational national security goal for the Russian Federation.

[mpcamb]

59. McConnell... "voiced doubts ..."

"Voiced doubts" based on what, exactly?

feelings?

Hey, they're as good as facts any day!

[wordpix]

71. exactly, US will be Vlad's government and planet to take over

with the help of US repugs

[gademocrat7]

2. McConnell needs to be impeached.

Treasonous bastard.

[Jacob Boehme]

38. Did you know that...

Mitch was so nasty as a kid, they had to tie a pork-chop around his neck so at least the freakin’ dog would play with him!

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. Food for thought: what if Russians are blackmailing Republicans?

Here's a blog post written (by a former military intelligence officer), at first, after Obama announced the investigation, but before the NYT/WP stories about the CIA saying both parties had been hacked, but only the Democratic stuff sent to Wikileaks:

My real fear of the Russian cyber kompromat and influence operations is not just that they hacked the DNC, the DSCC, the DCCC and John Podesta’s emails. Nor is it that they then, as Malcolm Nance has stated, modified some of those emails before using Wikileaks to distribute them in pursuit of compromising the Clinton campaign to both sow chaos and make American democracy look chaotic and unappealing and, as has now been reported, install Donald Trump as the President. Rather it is that the Russians used their cyber operatives to hack both the Democratic and Republican parties, including the RNC, Republican Senatorial Committee, Republican Congressional Committee, and various elite and notable GOP members. Both David Corn and Kurt Eichenwald have reported evidence that the President-elect himself was the subject of a kompromat operation, though it is unclear if it was successful.

While it is now well documented that the Russians publicly compromised the Democrats, my real fear is that they’ve privately compromised the Republicans. By doing so they not only make America look bad, and the idea of liberal democracy, both of which are among Putin’s strategic objectives. But they also have leverage and influence over the GOP – the party that now controls both chambers of Congress, the Presidency, and a majority of state legislatures and state houses. Russia has believed that it is in a new Cold War with the US for well over a year. What better way to get an advantage by publicly compromising one political party in the US and privately compromising the other? And this is my biggest fear over the Russian cyber based influence operations in the 2016 Presidential election.
...
Update at 12:40 AM EST

The New York Times has now reported that Russia did indeed hack the GOP, they just did not release the information. So we do appear to have a public Russian kompromat of the Democrats and a private Russian kompromat of the Republicans. The only question that remains to be seen is what the Russians are leveraging their private kompromat of the Republicans for.

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.

https://www.balloon-juice.com/2016/12/10/the-maskirovka-slips-viii-my-real-fear/

[csziggy]

24. I think he's nailed it- the Republicans have not been acting how I would expect

There has been something "off" about many of the reactions from Republicans at the top. In addition to the establishment of a useful Putin puppet at the top of the ticket - and stopping the election of a powerful woman who always stood up to Putin - the Russian now have information that can be used to manipulate the Republican leaders.

As one commenter on that site said:

Mike G says:
December 10, 2016 at 12:37 am

I expect a Trump Administration to be as vigilant and effective on this issue as the Bush Administration was about terrorism for its first eight months in office — lazy and disinterested if they can’t make a buck or make political hay out of it. Because Republicans.

The short fingered vulgarian and his cadre seem uninterested in the intelligence briefings, even less than the GWBush crowd. I wonder what essential pieces of information they will ignore that could allow another massive attack on this country?

[Kolesar]

55. Chuck Schumer needs to ask Mitch McConnel: "Is there something you want to say?"

Out with it, son

[pangaia]

53. I have many friends aorund the world.. mostly artistic types,. many classical musicians

We mostly follow each other on FB... and PMs and see each other when traveling..

Those 'closest' to these events live in..
Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Finland, Germany, Czech Republic, South Korea, China, etc..

Their take on all this is really interesting, and actually a little varied...
They are much more detailed in their discussions, but to simplify it...

Putin is dangerous and is screwing the US, AND Russia..

The US does the same thing.. well, true..

The EU threatens Russia..

Russia is a threat to the entire world.


Most of these people are very, very aware of international events and politics.. WAY more than Americans..

I learn a great deal through these relationships.. I wish more Americans had such varied 'world' contacts to widen their sources of information...... even people here....

[dragonlady]

60. Thank you for your insight n/t

[Sunlei]

67. They're in a good place, even hitler let the classical musicians live to play for deathcamp guards.

People know in general, countries that crush democracy like China and Russia are dangerous. What to do to slow that down and reverse damages they cause is the question.

I say we spam the world with a free press access, radio, wifi, TV.

All people around the world would need to access FREE countries, and most have- is a radio, a simple cell phone or a TV.

[Sunlei]

66. I agree, Republicans seem afraid of an investigation & a 'deeper' report. IMO, some are blackmailed.

They weren't 'scared' to rake Clinton over the investigation coals for years and years.

Why are they 'scared' to fight back against cyber attacks against America? what will it take, malware to take down entire power grid before republicans wake up?

[Achilleaze]

6. Russia has McConnell & Repukes by the short hairs

Why do Republicans hate America?

[cstanleytech]

7. Perhaps you should look up treason under US law as this isn't it.

Don't get me wrong, I personally loath Mitch and the majority of his fellow Republicans but the truth is questioning a report like this is actually what politicians in our country are supposed to do regardless of party.
It's just to bad Mitch and his party totally failed the country at doing the same during the Bush administration and instead they rolled over and played dead.

[shraby]

18. You're wrong. What mitch did was aid the enemy by not letting the public know

that the machines should be protected against Russia and that they were hacking the election.

edited to add:
He also refused to fill a slot on the Supreme Court that might have to weigh in on what Russia was doing, and left the slot open for trump to fill. I firmly believe he knew about Russia when Scalia died and the opening came up.
Not only that, his wife was named to a post in the administration. Quid pro quo.

[justhanginon]

20. By naming Commissar McConnell's wife to a post in his administration trump

took care of a debt that was repaid rather quickly for obvious reasons.

[Judi Lynn]

83. No one can ever say Snappy McTurtle can be bribed!

[center]

[Calista241]

41. Russia is not technically, in the eyes of the law, an enemy. n/t

[cstanleytech]

47. Plus even if we had declared war voicing a different opinion than that of the president is not

and never has been treason.

[Stand and Fight]

64. If Russia sought to undermine the electoral process, that is the act of an enemy state.

They made themselves enemies by doing so.

[Calista241]

68. I would agree, but that is not the legal standard.

And you cannot pass a declaration of war now, and put someone on trial for acts of dis-loyalty committed in the past. Acts of dis-loyalty during peacetime are not considered treasonous. The treason clause of the Constitution applies only to disloyal acts committed during times of war.

Even Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were not tried for treason, and they actually took money in exchange for military secrets on how to build a nuclear bomb to the Soviet Union, as the Soviets were our ally in World War II.

[Stand and Fight]

80. Declaration of war? Do you even know the last time war was actually declared? Get with the times.

[Calista241]

82. Do you even know the last time someone was convicted of Treason?

It was 1944 when a pilot defected to Germany during WW2.

[Stand and Fight]

89. L O L

[wordpix]

73. and now Vlad has his friend Exxon's Rex Tillerson, as Sec. of State

[Justice]

69. Question yes, but to dismiss - no

[cstanleytech]

70. No, that's part of it as well. It exposes him as a complete and utter partisan hack though

who is willing to do whatever it takes to gain power.

[rpannier]

8. Yet, if he heard 5 guys in a bathroom talking badly about HRC

He'd have sung it from the senate floor as facts from on high

[lordsummerisle]

10. K&R n/t

[jaxind]

11. Trump's Team's Response

Did you hear the response from the Trump team about the CIA's statement that Russia was helping Trump win?? One part of their response was that the election is over...let's just move on. OK...too funny....the Republican Party, the Poster Child for investigations ad nauseum, wants us to just move on! With the Rethugs, I honestly don't know whether I should laugh or cry!

[ReverendHeretic]

13. Both, unfortunately.

[jaxind]

12. Trump the Puppet!

It is already clear that Trump is Putin's puppet. The Exxon head that Trump wants as Secretary of State, is Putin's buddy!

[wordpix]

74. Corporate Oil States of Russian America is what it's coming to

[Tanuki]

14. McConnell is also forcing a Putin backed Supreme Court nominee

on the American public, delivered by a brayng jackass who lost the popular vote by a wide margin, instead of the rightful nominee made by our president. McConnell has already demonstrated that he is an enemy of democracy and of our Constitution, so I am not at all surprised by this latest villainy.

[MBS]

15. How can this sordid crew

possibly promote themselves as "patriotic?"
Just infuriating.

Yup, the behavior of Trump (and Flynn and Page and Manafort and Conway and the whole lot) and McConnell sure fits the definition of treason in my book, too.

We cannot let these people destroy this country.

[Bear Creek]

16. This can't be repeated enough

www.thenation.com/article/mitch-mcconnells-freighted-ties-shadowy-shipping-company
His wife being considered for cabinet post. Transportation hmmmmmm?

[bucolic_frolic]

17. The election year began with Scalia's death

and there was no autopsy

and from the hour he died, the Republicans, Abbott and McConnell in
particular, vowed there would be no hearings for any of Obama's
nominees. They knew how to create an election year issue.

[Javaman]

19. we are a cartoon democracy. nt

[Botany]

21. We need 10 million people in the streets

n/t

[annabanana]

22. Flat Out Traitor.

Putin is probably his biggest contributor. (thanks Scalia)

[ananda]

23. Well, McConnell "voiced doubts" so it can't be true then.

Snark

[Turbineguy]

25. What might have been the greatest

intelligence operation in history seems to be unraveling. Can the Republicans help the Russians get it back on track?

[KingCharlemagne]

86. WW II's Enigma was probaby the greatest intel operation in history, altho the Russians have

never been slouches when it comes to clandestine ops, going back at least to the days of the Cheka and Dzerzhinksy.

[blue neen]

26. Traitor.

McConnell chose the Russians over America.

[safeinOhio]

29. 70 years from now

Trump supporters will be call appeasers.

[randr]

28. For how long have the Republicans questioned and/or ignored intelligence briefings?

I do recall one important briefing back in August of 2001 they ignored; but WTF could happen?

[keithbvadu2]

30. Now our republicans are toadying up to Putin. - Patriots?

[Blue Idaho]

31. Experts say Russia has been cultivating Trump for 5 years...

At least since the Miss Universe Pagent was held in the Russia. Since republicans have been chatting with Trump on his unsecure phone for at least a couple of years there is reason to believe the Russians also have dirt on republican elected officials like McConnell.

It's easy to believe that the Republican Party is more interested in defeating democrats and covering their own asses than the validity of our election process. They have become - in polite terms "Useful Assets" or as the Russians call them - "Useful Idiots."

[C_U_L8R]

32. McTurtle seems to be a lousy chess player

I'm totally guessing but there could be
some well-thought strategy played out
by our team... and, just perhaps, Trump
and the Republicans have put their
collective head in the noose.

Again, just guessing and wishful thinking
but.. we do know our folks have the skills.

[turbinetree]

33. Well Turtle, what is more important your fascists right wing agenda to destroy

the Constitution that you swore to uphold, are you that completely corrupt and should be impeached--------------YES you are.

How fucking convenient that your wife the fascists gets a job in the fascist authoritarian regime called the Serial Predator (you fucking don't think he can be blacked mailed by Russia or China or some other state government)

You KNEW about this in September and you had the turtle balls to say that it was a lie and that the CIA was making this up. (I may not like the CIA in a lot of things) but I do not believe that they would lie about this jerk

I second the motion that you have no fucking conscience your a fucking hypocrite, right along with your fucking leadership team and Ryan and his fucking leadership team, and your are all agents of the FSB the state actor called Putin's intelligence agency of fucking Russia and the Wikileaks, surprise, there are no more fucking Wikileaks bullshit coming out---see a pattern here

http://www.nationalmemo.com/cia-russia-intervened-help-trump-win-white-house/

FU and the horse you road in on, you make $225,000 dollars a year off the backs of taxpayers that have died to protect elections, and the Constitution, so that you and your right wing fucking "republican" can be a fucking traitor Fuck you .

This election his here by null and void, and we should demand a a new election

[Jacob Boehme]

37. Amen!!!

Bravo and well said!!!

[turbinetree]

61. The citzens of this country come this Monday should be calling the people down in washington

especially the fascist republicans and demanding and telling them that the citizens of this country are not going to idly stand by this, this is just outrageous, this is not as business as usual, and it will not be "normalized", like the "media" is trying to do now, CNN had some "fascist republican", saying well Clinton lost and its time to move on-----------my answer to that Happy HS--------bite me.

The media should be hammering these people and saying we need to re-vote this BS that happened.

What did the state actor (Russia) do in Penn, Mich and Wis


To locate your Member on-line:

Switch Board for washing senators and congressional

[phone]

[eppur_se_muova]

34. Party before country -- it's The Republican Way.

They usually have the sense to be less blatant about it, but this Russian thing is bringing it out in the open. Now they're all having to admit that they don't care if Putin rigged the election (hey, didn't Vice Premier-Elect tRump tell us it was rigged?) as long as "their"guy -- who isn't really their guy but a useful sock puppet -- was eventually declared the winner.

[Sam1]

35. Does this mean that the Russians are better at regime change then we are?

[KingCharlemagne]

87. Oh, SNAP! - nt

[kimbutgar]

36. I hope the CIA has recording or videos backing this up

I bet our MSM will not report this one day tand sweep it under the table and forget. They liked the orange hitler ratings. Our media is corrupt and traitorous.

[Grimelle]

39. My take to

McConnell and Trump's reaction to Putin involvement in the elections
Putin hacked the RNC too and they need him to STFUP!

[hollowdweller]

40. McConnell shuts down pre election news of Russian hacking. Trump rewards by giving wife a job.

That's our headline.

[Botany]

42. Isnt that called a bribe or a payback?

Isn’t that called a bribe or a payback?

This was and is treason @ the highest levels. No doubt Chaffitz and Gowdy are going to hold long hearings into Putin having a computer server in Trump’s HQ and the London based data mining and I.T. firm that was run by Russians that Trump paid millions
of $s to.

Can we now call Trump “Putin Elect?”

[kwassa]

43. McConnell is the most destructive Republican of all time.

and he will do anything to win.

[Botany]

45. God only knows how many races across the country they have flipped?

We need trials and investigations.

I want to see Trump, McConnell, Bannon, Comey, and maybe even Ryan arrested for treason.

[kwassa]

46. The Republican congress will prevent any investigation.

They will do anything to stay in power.

[Botany]

49. "They" know the population demographics is against them so they have been and continue to .....

.... cheat in order to stay in power. Gerrymandering, a dirty media, election fraud,
voter suppression, fake news, calls out to racist/gun nuts/christian nut balls, and now
Russia hacking our elections?

A long time ago as a boy our next door neighbor in a middle class neighborhod in N.W.
PA was the county DA and his brother was Governor, Ray Shafer. It was a different time
but Gov. Shafer played w/the neighborhod kids and he was a great guy too. And he was
a liberal republican who supported civil rights, unions, education, infrastructure, and the
environment. His kind is long gone.

Can you think what Ike would say about the GOP getting Russian help in cheating in
an American election? This was a coup.

[6000eliot]

44. Makes you wonder what Putin had on McConnell.

He and his wife are a couple of crooks.

[wordpix]

79. HAS you mean - it's still all about the oil/gas, also the nukeweapons

[BigDemVoter]

48. Given THIS news about hacking, the EVERY state and EVERY precinct should be recounted.

And several Repigs need to go to jail.

[Botany]

50. Don't forget "crosscheck"

Before a single vote was cast, the election was fixed by GOP and Trump operatives.

Starting in 2013 – just as the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act – a coterie of Trump operatives, under the direction of Kris Kobach, Kansas Secretary of State, created a system to purge 1.1 million Americans of color from the voter rolls of GOP–controlled states.

The system, called Crosscheck, is detailed in my Rolling Stone report,
“The GOP’s Stealth War on Voters,” 8/24/2016.

Crosscheck in action:
Trump victory margin in Michigan: 13,107
Michigan Crosscheck purge list: 449,922

Trump victory margin in Arizona: 85,257
Arizona Crosscheck purge list: 270,824

Trump victory margin in North Carolina: 177,008
North Carolina Crosscheck purge list: 589,393

On Tuesday, we saw Crosscheck elect a Republican Senate and as President, Donald Trump. The electoral putsch was aided by nine other methods of attacking the right to vote of Black, Latino and Asian-American voters, methods detailed in my book and film, including “Caging,” “purging,” blocking legitimate registrations, and wrongly shunting millions to “provisional” ballots that will never be counted.

[Kolesar]

56. Have you read of hundreds of Dems being turned away at the polls?

I have been looking for reports and not found it.

Your quote looks like Greg Palast. I looked on his site, too.

[Botany]

57. it is Palast

i have seen nothing about people being turned away from the polls but
I have seen stories about 88,000 people in MI showing up to vote but
skipping to vote for POTUS.

[Kolesar]

58. thank you ... eom

[Beartracks]

51. Apparently, IOKIYARussian. n/t

[pbmus]

52. The kkk has arrived

Kleptocratic kakistrophic kremlin

[ThoughtCriminal]

54. The Capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them - Lenin

Even Lenin did not realize how cheap it was to buy American Republicans. The Soviet Union probably spent trillions on a lost arms race. How much do you think this operation cost? $10 million? $20 million?

[KingCharlemagne]

88. A hell of a lot less than Operation Shocking and Awful! :) - nt

[AgadorSparticus]

62. Clearly, Mitch McConnell needs to be investigated.

[wordpix]

75. agree - what was in those emails Russia's hanging over repukes' heads?

I'm guessing sex scandals and illegal oil and nuke weapons deals.

[AgadorSparticus]

77. Yep. I think there is a whole lot more that can put them in jail.

Or maybe how they talked about manipulating the masses that would fracture their base to smithereens

[wordpix]

91. certain repugs don't want the info out---mainly Trump's wing---as for Turtle

He's straddling the fence, probably wondering if RNC hacked emails include anything of his that's embarrassing or questionable.

[Cha]

63. mitch suppressed the findings and now his wife is in trump's

cabinet.. do the math.

[Sunlei]

65. Looks like Republicans are scared of a 'report'. Why is that?

[Raster]

76. So, in other words, Comrade McConnell...

...it's OK for Putin to hack the American election in favor tRump, it's just not OK to let America know about it???

[AgadorSparticus]

78. Comrade McConnell needs to answer that question.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

81. McTurtle's been breathing too much coal dust

[lagomorph777]

84. I also saw Sean Spicer scream (literally) for a solid 10 minutes about the CIA's conclusion.

He looked seriously panicked; his speech was very fast and pressured. Smerconish pretty much let him run on and look like a maniac.

Spicer's big point? "The Russians did NOT hack the RNC."

Of COURSE they didn't. Why would they hack their ally?

[wordpix]

90. Spicer & Joe Scarb had shouting match, too; Spicer kept talking about hacking voting machines

instead of hacking emails. As Don would say, "Ridiculous!"

[lagomorph777]

92. Well, that's odd - nobody said "voting machines" until Spicer did?

I wonder what prompted that?