Dr. Jai Cooper
2018-02-17 14:57:49 UTC
Putins chef, a troll farm and Russia's plot to hijack US democracy
Robert Mueller has revealed audacious meddling in the 2016 election. Can
he link it to Trump?
David Smith in Washington
@smithinamerica
Sat 17 Feb 2018 14.18 GMT Last modified on Sat 17 Feb 2018 14.20 GMT
What followed, according to an indictment brought by the US special
counsel, Robert Mueller, on Friday, was a stunningly successful attack on
the most powerful democracy in the world. It involved stolen identities,
fake social media accounts, rallies organised from afar, US citizens duped
into doing Moscows bidding, and two Russians going undercover in a ruse
reminiscent of The Americans, a TV drama about KGB spies in suburban
Washington during the cold war.
Mueller also delivered an indictment, figuratively if not literally, of
tech giants Facebook and Twitter for handing Russia a weapon to turn
against the American people one that Barack Obamas administration was
impotent to deflect.
In his first criminal charges related to election meddling, Mueller
accused 13 Russians and three Russian companies of an elaborate effort to
disrupt the 2016 presidential poll with a covert trolling campaign, aimed
in part at helping Donald Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. After more than a
year of statements by the intelligence community, congressional hearings
and media reports, this hardly came as a surprise; but the extent of
Moscows audacity and reach did.
Far from being all about Trump, it was clear that allegations of collusion
form just one component of an ongoing, multi-layered investigation.
Mueller was appointed special counsel in May last year, following Trumps
dismissal of the FBI director James Comey. He has been assailed by Trump,
some Republicans and conservative media seeking to delegitimise him. But
still he quietly, meticulously and relentlessly zeroes in from his leak-
proof office.
Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in South Carolina.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest
Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in South Carolina in 2016.
Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
The indictment is an indication of the scale of Russias interference but
also an indication of the scale of Muellers investigation, said Mark
Simakovsky at the Atlantic Council thinktank, a former Russia specialist
at the Pentagon. From the beginning, Mueller had a broad mandate. It
shouldnt come as any surprise that the investigation has targeted
Russians who have been on the ground interfering in the election.
Advertisement
If, in the tradition of TV detectives, Mueller has a corkboard on which he
pins photos of suspects, then on one side of the board he now has the
faces of 13 Russians. On the other he has four men already charged: the
former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, his deputy Rick Gates, former
national security adviser Michael Flynn and former foreign policy adviser
George Papadopoulos. What is unknown is whether he will be able to draw a
direct line between the two groups.
The unprecedented Russian offensive began in 2014 with an aim to sow
discord and evolved, for still unknown reasons, into a concerted attempt
to help Trump. Some of it relied on old-fashioned boots on the ground. Two
operatives, Aleksandra Krylova and Anna Bogacheva, allegedly travelled as
tourists through at least nine states over about two weeks in June 2014 to
collect intelligence for their operations. They prepared evacuation
scenarios in case their cover was blown.
This was combined with exploiting vulnerabilities in the anonymous,
borderless world of social media, where agents of chaos thrive. Silicon
Valleys utopian fantasies were shattered by the Internet Research Agency,
a troll farm based in nondescript offices at 55 Savushkina Street in St
Petersburg. Allegedly operating through Russian shell companies, the
agency employed hundreds of people, ranging from creators of fictitious
personae to technical and administrative support, with an annual budget of
millions of dollars, the indictment says.
Its specialists were divided into day shifts and night shifts to fit with
the appropriate US time zones. The agency also circulated lists of US
holidays so that specialists could be active accordingly. They were
directed to create political intensity through supporting radical groups,
users dissatisfied with [the] social and economic situation and
oppositional social movements.
Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama
Facebook Twitter Pinterest
Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama on the presidential campaign trail in
2016. Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Russians posed as politically and socially active Americans, advocating
for and against particular candidates, according to Mueller. They created
social media pages and groups, and bought political adverts such as JOIN
our #HillaryClintonForPrison2016 and Donald wants to defeat terrorism
... Hillary wants to sponsor it. They relied on identity theft, using the
social security numbers, home addresses and birth dates of Americans
without their knowledge. They set up fake bank accounts linked to PayPal
accounts.
Advertisement
They engaged in operations primarily intended to communicate derogatory
information about Hillary Clinton, to denigrate other candidates such as
Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, and to support [Democratic candidate] Bernie
Sanders and then-candidate Donald Trump, the indictment states. According
to one internal communication, the specialists were told to use any
opportunity to criticise Hillary and the rest (except Sanders and Trump
we support them).
In June 2016, just weeks after Trump officially clinched the Republican
nomination, the Russians began to organise and coordinate pro-Trump
rallies, recruiting and paying unwitting Americans. At a time when Trump
supporters were chanting Lock her up!, one was asked to wear a costume
portraying Clinton in a prison uniform at a rally in Florida, while
another was asked to build a cage on a flatbed truck.
On 5 June, someone posing as an American activist used the Twitter account
@March_for_Trump to contact an unnamed Trump campaign volunteer in New
York. The volunteer agreed to provide signs for the March for Trump
rally, the indictment alleges. That contact came four days before Trumps
son, Donald Jr, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met a group of
representatives for Russian interests at Trump Tower. That meeting is not
cited in the indictment; it remains to be seen if Mueller will make a
connection.
The accounts @March_for_Trump and @TEN_GOP which falsely appeared to
represent the Republican party in Tennessee generated thousands of
tweets. A selection made available by NBC News includes: This is
sickening. Hillary using the Mentally Ill to incite violence at Trump
rallies. #FreeJulian #BirdDogging , BREAKING Hillary caught using a
child actor at her townhall in Haverford, PA Please, RT to expose this
fraud! , DISGUSTING Watch: Hillary laughing when Trump said gays get
thrown off buildings in Muslim counties [sic] and Watch: Barack Obama
admits he was born in Kenya.. #birtherism.
On or about 22 September, Russians created and bought Facebook ads for a
series of Miners for Trump rallies in Pennsylvania which turned out to
be a crucial swing state that Trump won by 68,236 votes. The operation
also targeted minority communities to exploit divisive issues such as
immigration, religion and the Black Lives Matter movement, with a view to
suppressing Democratic votes.
Advertisement
Twelve of the individuals indicted worked at various times for the
Internet Research Agency. The other defendant, Yevgeniy Viktorovich
Prigozhin, allegedly funded the conspiracy. Prigozhin is a St Petersburg
businessman dubbed Putins chef because his restaurants have hosted the
Kremlin leader and foreign dignitaries. The 13 Russians are not in custody
and not likely ever to face trial.
The indictment does not allege that any American knowingly participated in
Russian meddling, or that Trump campaign associates had more than
unwitting contact with some who posed as Americans. Trump quickly
claimed vindication, noting in a tweet that the interference efforts began
in 2014 long before I announced that I would run for president. He
added: The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign
did nothing wrong no collusion!
But its far from over. Although the Russian interference predated Trumps
candidacy, there is still the possibility that his campaign decided to
ride that wave and capitalise on a coincidence of interests. The president
has shown a mysterious reluctance to criticise the Russian president,
Vladimir Putin, or acknowledge that Moscow might have played any part in
putting him in the White House. Even on Friday, he said little to
acknowledge the scale of the assault or offer anything by way of American
countermeasures.
Matthew Miller, a former justice department spokesman under Obama, said:
Hes acting more like a defendant than the chief executive of a country
that was attacked. It continues to be all about him.
Few would bet against more tremors to come. The indictment does not
mention the hacking of Democratic emails, which then turned up on
WikiLeaks. It does not mention the infamous Trump Tower meeting in June
2016. It does not mention the four Trump associates who are facing charges
that range from money laundering to lying to the FBI about conversations
with Russias ambassador. America, and the world, is waiting for Mueller
to join the dots.
Simakovsky pondered: Why did this get released before the president
decides whether to take an interview with special counsel? All this is
timed to build more public and private pressure on those who are being
investigated. I believe there should be no comfort in the Trump
administration that this somehow absolves them from inquiry.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/17/putins-chef-a-troll-farm-
and-russias-plot-to-hijack-us-democracy
Robert Mueller has revealed audacious meddling in the 2016 election. Can
he link it to Trump?
David Smith in Washington
@smithinamerica
Sat 17 Feb 2018 14.18 GMT Last modified on Sat 17 Feb 2018 14.20 GMT
What followed, according to an indictment brought by the US special
counsel, Robert Mueller, on Friday, was a stunningly successful attack on
the most powerful democracy in the world. It involved stolen identities,
fake social media accounts, rallies organised from afar, US citizens duped
into doing Moscows bidding, and two Russians going undercover in a ruse
reminiscent of The Americans, a TV drama about KGB spies in suburban
Washington during the cold war.
Mueller also delivered an indictment, figuratively if not literally, of
tech giants Facebook and Twitter for handing Russia a weapon to turn
against the American people one that Barack Obamas administration was
impotent to deflect.
In his first criminal charges related to election meddling, Mueller
accused 13 Russians and three Russian companies of an elaborate effort to
disrupt the 2016 presidential poll with a covert trolling campaign, aimed
in part at helping Donald Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. After more than a
year of statements by the intelligence community, congressional hearings
and media reports, this hardly came as a surprise; but the extent of
Moscows audacity and reach did.
Far from being all about Trump, it was clear that allegations of collusion
form just one component of an ongoing, multi-layered investigation.
Mueller was appointed special counsel in May last year, following Trumps
dismissal of the FBI director James Comey. He has been assailed by Trump,
some Republicans and conservative media seeking to delegitimise him. But
still he quietly, meticulously and relentlessly zeroes in from his leak-
proof office.
Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in South Carolina.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest
Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in South Carolina in 2016.
Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
The indictment is an indication of the scale of Russias interference but
also an indication of the scale of Muellers investigation, said Mark
Simakovsky at the Atlantic Council thinktank, a former Russia specialist
at the Pentagon. From the beginning, Mueller had a broad mandate. It
shouldnt come as any surprise that the investigation has targeted
Russians who have been on the ground interfering in the election.
Advertisement
If, in the tradition of TV detectives, Mueller has a corkboard on which he
pins photos of suspects, then on one side of the board he now has the
faces of 13 Russians. On the other he has four men already charged: the
former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, his deputy Rick Gates, former
national security adviser Michael Flynn and former foreign policy adviser
George Papadopoulos. What is unknown is whether he will be able to draw a
direct line between the two groups.
The unprecedented Russian offensive began in 2014 with an aim to sow
discord and evolved, for still unknown reasons, into a concerted attempt
to help Trump. Some of it relied on old-fashioned boots on the ground. Two
operatives, Aleksandra Krylova and Anna Bogacheva, allegedly travelled as
tourists through at least nine states over about two weeks in June 2014 to
collect intelligence for their operations. They prepared evacuation
scenarios in case their cover was blown.
This was combined with exploiting vulnerabilities in the anonymous,
borderless world of social media, where agents of chaos thrive. Silicon
Valleys utopian fantasies were shattered by the Internet Research Agency,
a troll farm based in nondescript offices at 55 Savushkina Street in St
Petersburg. Allegedly operating through Russian shell companies, the
agency employed hundreds of people, ranging from creators of fictitious
personae to technical and administrative support, with an annual budget of
millions of dollars, the indictment says.
Its specialists were divided into day shifts and night shifts to fit with
the appropriate US time zones. The agency also circulated lists of US
holidays so that specialists could be active accordingly. They were
directed to create political intensity through supporting radical groups,
users dissatisfied with [the] social and economic situation and
oppositional social movements.
Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama
Facebook Twitter Pinterest
Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama on the presidential campaign trail in
2016. Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Russians posed as politically and socially active Americans, advocating
for and against particular candidates, according to Mueller. They created
social media pages and groups, and bought political adverts such as JOIN
our #HillaryClintonForPrison2016 and Donald wants to defeat terrorism
... Hillary wants to sponsor it. They relied on identity theft, using the
social security numbers, home addresses and birth dates of Americans
without their knowledge. They set up fake bank accounts linked to PayPal
accounts.
Advertisement
They engaged in operations primarily intended to communicate derogatory
information about Hillary Clinton, to denigrate other candidates such as
Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, and to support [Democratic candidate] Bernie
Sanders and then-candidate Donald Trump, the indictment states. According
to one internal communication, the specialists were told to use any
opportunity to criticise Hillary and the rest (except Sanders and Trump
we support them).
In June 2016, just weeks after Trump officially clinched the Republican
nomination, the Russians began to organise and coordinate pro-Trump
rallies, recruiting and paying unwitting Americans. At a time when Trump
supporters were chanting Lock her up!, one was asked to wear a costume
portraying Clinton in a prison uniform at a rally in Florida, while
another was asked to build a cage on a flatbed truck.
On 5 June, someone posing as an American activist used the Twitter account
@March_for_Trump to contact an unnamed Trump campaign volunteer in New
York. The volunteer agreed to provide signs for the March for Trump
rally, the indictment alleges. That contact came four days before Trumps
son, Donald Jr, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met a group of
representatives for Russian interests at Trump Tower. That meeting is not
cited in the indictment; it remains to be seen if Mueller will make a
connection.
The accounts @March_for_Trump and @TEN_GOP which falsely appeared to
represent the Republican party in Tennessee generated thousands of
tweets. A selection made available by NBC News includes: This is
sickening. Hillary using the Mentally Ill to incite violence at Trump
rallies. #FreeJulian #BirdDogging , BREAKING Hillary caught using a
child actor at her townhall in Haverford, PA Please, RT to expose this
fraud! , DISGUSTING Watch: Hillary laughing when Trump said gays get
thrown off buildings in Muslim counties [sic] and Watch: Barack Obama
admits he was born in Kenya.. #birtherism.
On or about 22 September, Russians created and bought Facebook ads for a
series of Miners for Trump rallies in Pennsylvania which turned out to
be a crucial swing state that Trump won by 68,236 votes. The operation
also targeted minority communities to exploit divisive issues such as
immigration, religion and the Black Lives Matter movement, with a view to
suppressing Democratic votes.
Advertisement
Twelve of the individuals indicted worked at various times for the
Internet Research Agency. The other defendant, Yevgeniy Viktorovich
Prigozhin, allegedly funded the conspiracy. Prigozhin is a St Petersburg
businessman dubbed Putins chef because his restaurants have hosted the
Kremlin leader and foreign dignitaries. The 13 Russians are not in custody
and not likely ever to face trial.
The indictment does not allege that any American knowingly participated in
Russian meddling, or that Trump campaign associates had more than
unwitting contact with some who posed as Americans. Trump quickly
claimed vindication, noting in a tweet that the interference efforts began
in 2014 long before I announced that I would run for president. He
added: The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign
did nothing wrong no collusion!
But its far from over. Although the Russian interference predated Trumps
candidacy, there is still the possibility that his campaign decided to
ride that wave and capitalise on a coincidence of interests. The president
has shown a mysterious reluctance to criticise the Russian president,
Vladimir Putin, or acknowledge that Moscow might have played any part in
putting him in the White House. Even on Friday, he said little to
acknowledge the scale of the assault or offer anything by way of American
countermeasures.
Matthew Miller, a former justice department spokesman under Obama, said:
Hes acting more like a defendant than the chief executive of a country
that was attacked. It continues to be all about him.
Few would bet against more tremors to come. The indictment does not
mention the hacking of Democratic emails, which then turned up on
WikiLeaks. It does not mention the infamous Trump Tower meeting in June
2016. It does not mention the four Trump associates who are facing charges
that range from money laundering to lying to the FBI about conversations
with Russias ambassador. America, and the world, is waiting for Mueller
to join the dots.
Simakovsky pondered: Why did this get released before the president
decides whether to take an interview with special counsel? All this is
timed to build more public and private pressure on those who are being
investigated. I believe there should be no comfort in the Trump
administration that this somehow absolves them from inquiry.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/17/putins-chef-a-troll-farm-
and-russias-plot-to-hijack-us-democracy