Michelle Malkin investigates the history of systems used to calculate results from November’s big race, and presents claims that suggest the winners and losers might have been influenced by outside parties. – via Michelle Malkin Sovereign Nation, Saturdays at 7PM ET on Newsmax TV
Hackers
Even Putin Thought Hillary Would Win. Why the Hacking Then?
See POWERLINE’S, “What Putin Was Up To?”
Yep, Russia wasn’t “helping Trump,” they were weakening Hillary’s appearance on the world stage. Neutering her and her stance. General Michael B. Mukasey makes this point and asks the question that matters:
- “Why would Mr. Putin, an SVR alumnus, give GRU a mission meant to be highly covert? Was this a serious attempt to swing the election to Donald Trump?”
He starts his surmising with this: “AT THE TIME OF THE HACKING, VIRTUALLY NO ONE GAVE MR. TRUMP ANY CHANCE OF WINNING.”
Yep. EVERYONE thought Hillary was a sure thing.
Even Putin.
So what was Russia’s angle? I think General Mukasey has the best answer thus.
Here is the entire WALL STREET JOURNAL article by General Michael B. Mukasey mentioned by Medved, via LUX LIBERTAS:
The indictment of 12 Russian military intelligence agents last week, on charges they hacked into Democratic National Committee and other servers during the 2016 campaign, raises questions about the timing of the announcement and the work of the hackers themselves. The news came on the eve of the Trump-Putin summit. Why then?
The president was told of the indictments before he traveled. Yet the plain effect of the announcement was to raise further doubts about the wisdom of the meeting—and perhaps to shape its agenda. Neither is the business of the special counsel or anyone else at the Justice Department. The department has a longstanding policy, not directly applicable here but at least analogous, that candidates should not be charged close to an election, absent urgent need, lest the charges themselves affect the outcome. The general principle would seem to apply: Prosecutors are supposed to consider the impact of their actions on significant events outside the criminal-justice system, and to act with due diffidence.
From a law-enforcement standpoint, there was nothing urgent about these indictments. All 12 defendants are in Russia; none are likely ever to see the inside of a U.S. courtroom.
Alternative strategies were available. In 2008 Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, known to law enforcement as the “Merchant of Death” and the defendant in a sealed indictment, was lured in a sting by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents to Thailand, where he was seized. The Thais, to their great credit, resisted heavy Russian pressure to release him. Instead they fulfilled their treaty obligations and granted a U.S. extradition request.
It has been argued that the objective of last week’s indictments was not to prosecute the defendants but to “name and shame” them. They were named, and even their military intelligence units disclosed—but shamed? In 2006 Alexander Litvinenko, a Russian defector to the U.K., was poisoned in London with polonium from a Russian nuclear facility. Litvinenko had charged that Vladimir Putin was directly responsible for bombing a Moscow apartment building in 1999, an event used as a pretext for the invasion of Chechnya.
Andrei Lugovoi, implicated in the assassination, fled the U.K. and returned to Russia. Not only did Moscow refuse a British extradition request, but Mr. Putin decorated Mr. Lugovoi for “services to the nation.” Mr. Lugovoi was given a seat in the Russian Parliament in 2007. On that record, the 12 indicted hackers are likelier to be lionized than ostracized.
Recall also that the only basis for appointing a special counsel under applicable regulations was the conflict of interest and special circumstance presented by a Justice Department investigation into possibly unlawful conduct by the president’s campaign. Thus the initial order appointing Robert Mueller directs him to investigate “any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump. ” Thus far, numerous Russians have been charged with crimes related to the campaign, and several “individuals associated with the campaign” have been charged with crimes unrelated to the charges against the Russians or to the Trump campaign. No “links” or “coordination” has been charged or even suggested.
Turning to the crime charged, and assuming that the 12 current Russian defendants are guilty, why did they do what they did, in the way that they did?
Despite the wide-eyed, golly-Mr.-Science tone in much of the news coverage, the indictment doesn’t portray cutting-edge Russian intelligence capabilities. The defendants all are said to be members of GRU, Russia’s main military intelligence unit. It is comprised largely of former special-forces types who are looked down upon by their more sophisticated competitors in the SVR, successor to Mr. Putin’s alma mater, the KGB. Their acts, as portrayed in the indictment, obviously were detected—in exquisite detail—by U.S. intelligence services. GRU’s phishing venture, although widespread, was primitive compared with the SVR’s capabilities.
Why would Mr. Putin, an SVR alumnus, give GRU a mission meant to be highly covert? Was this a serious attempt to swing the election to Donald Trump?
At the time of the hacking, virtually no one gave Mr. Trump any chance of winning. Mr. Putin is a thug, but he is not reckless. It seems unlikely he would place a high-stakes bet on a sure loser. Rather, he likely sought to embarrass the person certain to be the new president, assuring that she took office as damaged goods.
Why leave fingerprints? If the only goal was to inflict damage, the new president would have been not only damaged, but also resentful. Even the person who happily posed with a mislabeled “reset” button in frothier days likely would have turned sour.
The point likely was not merely to inflict damage but also to send a warning. Consider the Justice Department inspector general’s report on the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of an unauthorized and vulnerable email server. It found that the bureau had concluded the server could well have been penetrated without detection. Recall also that some of the people hacked by GRU agents were aware of that server and mentioned it in messages they sent, so that the Russians too were aware of it. The SVR certainly was capable of an undetected hack.
There are some 30,000 emails that Mrs. Clinton did not turn over, on the claim that they were personal and involved such trivia as yoga routines and Chelsea’s wedding. If they instead contained damaging information—say, regarding Clinton Foundation fundraising—the new president would have taken office in the shadow of a sword dangling from a string held by the Russians.
As we watch the drama of an investigation into whether the president or those close to him committed crimes to help the Russian government, it seems useful to keep in mind not only the possibilities but also the plausibilities.
Mr. Mukasey served as U.S. attorney general (2007-09) and a U.S. district judge (1988-2006).
The Democrat’s Selective Outrage On Intelligence
UPDATE! via THE DAILY CALLER and the NYTs:
The New York Times issued a correction Thursday on an article that incorrectly claimed all 17 U.S. intelligence agencies agreed that “Russia orchestrated the attacks, and did it to help get [Trump] elected.”
[….]
Former candidate Hillary Clinton made the claim in late May that all 17 intelligence agencies agreed “that the Russians ran an extensive information war against my campaign to influence voters in the election.”
Former FBI Director James Comey refuted this false claim in a congressional hearing in May, stating that the assessment was only from the NSA, FBI and the CIA.
The Daily Caller News Foundation published a fact-check June 1 that rated Clinton’s claim as “False.”
Larry Elder discusses in the following clips some of the hypocritical positions the Democrats have in regard to accepting or rejecting intelligent agencies positions — selective outrage in other words. The above audio includes a partial interview with Ed Klein as well (interview begins at the 6:28 mark). Mr. Klein’s books and more can be found here: http://edwardklein.com/
I believe this line about 17-intelligence agencies saying the “Russians” did it is still the same evidence as when I posted this: “NO, 17-U.S. AGENCIES DID NOT SAY RUSSIA HACKED DEM E-MAILS.”
But many issues have still negated the narrative by the Democrats in this regard…see:
➤ CIA vs FBI – Russia and the U.S. Election
➤ The Hillary Campaign and the DNC Refused FBI Help
The bottom line is that even if the Russian’s have an involvement, it didn’t change the outcome of the election. Whatsoever. And the leaks from Podesta’s emails and the DNC were from insiders, not Russians.
Via CNSNEWS:
“Hold on a minute! CNN didn’t invent this,” said Camerota. “As you know, there were a score of intelligence agencies — seventeen of them — that concluded that Russia had hacked and meddled in our election.”
King replied, “Alisyn, there was dissent among that. And, furthermore, I sat in on that classified briefing and they divulged not one fact. They only gave us their opinions. So, we’re back at the same place again. We need facts to work with.”
Camerota then asked, “Just so I’m clear Congressman: You do not believe that Russia meddled?”
King answered, “I don’t know. I don’t have — I don’t know if they meddled or not. I want to see a transcript; I want to hear some audio. I want to see a chronological timeline, that we can say these things we know that are facts. Because what we’re dealing with are opinions.”
The Hillary Campaign and the DNC Refused FBI Help
SOOPERMEXICAN notes this about the CNN video that follows:
While Democrats are still running around like chickens with their heads cut off about the election, the FBI is saying that they repeatedly warned the DNC about their getting hacked, and they ignored them.
That’s hilarious. Things are really unravelling now – Hillary is blaming Comey while Comey just backed up the CIA claiming Putin ordered the hacking. Democrats are all angry at Obama for not revealing the interference, but he just claimed that he got Putin to stop it way back in September!! It’s all Democrats freaking out because the electors will vote on Monday, and Trump will defeat the crappiest Democratic candidate in recent memory.
Apparently, this was the norm with them (from July):
The Clinton Campaign was warned by the FBI that they were the target of a cyber attack but they REFUSED TO COOPERATE.
Earlier today the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee announced it was hacked too.
Awesome! Anti-Israel Hackers, Hacked ~ `was itself hacked and late Saturday was playing Israel’s national anthem`
Via The Blaze
Hackers purporting to be affiliated with the collective Anonymous have for days been threatening a massive cyber attack against Israel on Sunday. Their stated vow: to “erase Israel from cyberspace.”
While Israeli government websites appeared to be functioning as of Sunday morning Israel time, Israel supporters had a surprise for the would-be attackers. The OpIsrael website associated with some of the anti-Israel hackers was itself hacked and late Saturday was playing Israel’s national anthem, Hatikvah. It also listed 20 facts about Israel not usually recognized by the Jewish state’s detractors.
1. Israel became a nation in 1312 BCE, two thousand years before the rise of Islam.
2. Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the modern State of Israel.
3. Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 BCE, the Jews have had dominion over the land for one thousand years with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years.
4. The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 CE lasted no more than 22 years.
5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.
6. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in Tanach, the Jewish Holy Scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran.
7. King David founded the city of Jerusalem. Mohammed never came to Jerusalem.
8. Jews pray facing Jerusalem. Muslims pray with their backs toward Jerusalem.
9. In 1948 the Arab refugees were encouraged to leave Israel by Arab leaders promising to purge the land of Jews. Sixty-eight percent left without ever seeing an Israeli soldier.
10. The Jewish refugees were forced to flee from Arab lands due to Arab brutality, persecution, and slaughter.
11. The number of Arab refugees who left Israel in 1948 is estimated to be around 630,000. The number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is estimated to be the same.
12. Arab refugees were intentionally not absorbed or integrated into the Arab lands to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory. Out of the 100,000,000 refugees since World War II, theirs is the only refugee group in the world that has never been absorbed or integrated into their own people’s lands. Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into Israel, a country no larger than the state of New Jersey.
13. The Arabs are represented by eight separate nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only one Jewish nation. The Arab nations initiated all five wars and lost. Israel defended itself each time and won.
14. The PLO’s Charter still calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, and has supplied them.
15. Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the Jews were denied access to places of worship. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian sites have been preserved and made accessible to people of all faiths.
16. The UN Record on Israel and the Arabs: of the 175 Security Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel.
17. Of the 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429 were directed against Israel.
18. The UN was silent while 58 Jerusalem Synagogues were destroyed by the Jordanians.
19. The UN was silent while the Jordanians systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.
20. The UN was silent while the Jordanians enforced an apartheid-like a policy of preventing Jews from visiting the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.
UPDATE: Hackers arrested in Jordan… now threatening to attack Jordan, and physically kill Jews:
Anti-Semitic To the Bone
“Today we invade their internet sites and their electronic fortresses, and tomorrow we will attack them in their homes, which were established upon our land and which robbed us of our rights,” …
Anonymous` Cyber War Declared On Israel (and GOP) ~ Nothing More Than A Left-Wing Group
(Click Graphic To See Story About GOP and ORCA)
Breitbart says:
Internet leftist terrorists Anonymous have begun posting personal information on top-ranking Israeli officials online. Using Anonpaste.me to send a message to the Israeli government, Anonymous wrote, “It has come to our attention that the Israeli government has ignored repeated warnings about the abuse of human rights, shutting down the internet in Israel and mistreating its own citizens andt hose of its neighboring countries.” This newest assault follows hot on the heels of Anonymous’ attack on over 700 Israeli websites, including the Foreign Ministry website in which it deleted the Foreign Ministry’s database.
“Israeli Gov. this is/will turn into a cyberwar,” wrote Anonymous. Israel says that it has “deflected 44 million cyber-attacks on government websites.” Many major Israeli websites remain down.
One of my sons (the younger one) has some fantasy about Anonymous being the “Internet police,” so-to-speak. (He even cited a story about Anonymous harassing some kids who bullied a bus driver… and Mussolini got the trains to run on time and Hitler provided universal healthcare.)
He mentioned that this group of cyber-terrorists did this apparently to stop Israel from shutting down the internet in Gaza, saying that they said the internet should be for everyone. I pointed out that the only place I could find the information that Israel was going to shut down the internet in Gaza was from Anonymous themselves. No reputable news organization themselves — outside of reading from Anonymous’ own statement — confirmed this:
Where did you read that the internet was going to be shut down? (In other words, the only source I can find for this is anonymous themselves… an extremist group of criminals. This is the epitome of an extreme “news” source.) Gaza has always had internet problems… they concentrate on war, not productivity and innovation? Most Gazan’s already rely on dial-up anyways. And if push comes to shove, any reporter can upload from their phone or i-pad type unit.
★ At this time, access to power and Internet connectivity in Gaza is spotty and inconsistent. Gazans have experienced power outages and are accustomed to relying on generators, but a concerted Israeli effort to shut down the Internet in Gaza has not yet materialized. In the meantime, dial-up connections can be a lifeline for residents of Gaza. Telecomix has published a guide to configuring and using a dial-up Internet connection. (EFF)
In other words, propaganda by Anonymous to mask the other statements they made:
…Anonymous, right along with how I have described them, are a political faction that has a skewed view of history. They said in their statement that Israel’s stance is “barbaric, brutal and despicable treatment of the Palestinian people,” not true. Like I said, these guys are young and misinformed… like most UC students, for example.
You see, dial up is already in wide use in Gaza, if there is internet at all, because both service and power has always been spotty since the Palestinians are NOT about bettering the lives of their fellow man but really about war and killing Jews. Not to mention it is a great way for Israel to get intel, and so they would NOT want to sever the connection: “It is important to remember that dial-up connections are not secure” (EFF). Here is more on the topic taken from my FaceBook post:
Anonymous:
They seemed to be upset about the killing of a top Hamas leader (NYT: http://tinyurl.com/cpre5qw) that was the mastermind of many deadly attacks as a response to the increasing rocket attacks. Israel may have to enter Gaza which they chose to leave completely to the Palestinian people to run… as hundreds of Katyusha rockets fly in almost daily (and a newer long-range rocket[s] from Iran and Libya [thanks Obama] that Hamas and other armed groups have smuggled in Iran and Libya). They also intimated their concern for the “children,” but the onus for this should be laid at the feet of the Palestinian people as they teach their children radicalism from birth:
★ “A book that is required reading for Palestinian six graders actually starts off stating, ‘There is no alternative to destroying Israel.’” Here are some photos of kids dressed up as Jihad fighters and wearing faux suicide belts: http://tinyurl.com/2v2qu
At the end of their long rant you get to see the education they received that many in the UC system typically get, when Anonymouse said: “To the oppressors of the innocent Palestinian people, it is too late to EXPECT US“ (http://tinyurl.com/co3trew).
This anti-female (oppression), anti-homosexual (Hamas kills them), anti-Semitic (“drive Jews into the sea” [i.e., no two-state solution], Hamas kills them), anti-Christian (kill or force conversions) bed of extremism that these jihadists have foisted on the Palestinians (which they have swallowed in full), makes them ANYTHING BUT innocent. When a suicide bomber can go into a pizzeria, kill women and children, and then a museum is set up of the exact scene as a celebration of death and the “success” of a suicide bomber… well… the Jihadi maxim runs true: “We love death more than you love life!” (http://tinyurl.com/9ahyo48)
There are chapters of Anonymous and here a couple of them (these chapters) had many arrested and some of their activity [attacks] are explained (http://tinyurl.com/7xvsrna), as well as hacking into CIA and other orgs, “British pair admit targeting institutions including CIA, Soca and News International” (http://tinyurl.com/adrmlfy).
They are young, and engage in criminal activity. They have a warped sense of the world BECAUSE they are young, and most “revolutionaries” (anarchists and/or socialists) have a view not that different in what they are taught at major universities. For instance, that the Palestinian people had a country or were a people that historically inhabited the area of Israel. This view is false, and I would recommend these young people read a simple book on the history of this conflict: “History Upside Down: The Roots of Palestinian Fascism and the Myth of Israeli Aggression” (152 pages). Their views of what corporations are and are not are warped as well.
For instance, the “Libertarian heavyweight” Milton Freidman, makes a great point that the only monopolies are that created by the government (http://youtu.be/r6LLQdpY7wU). So, a great recent example. Government is forcing people to buy private insurance… pushing people into a system that is charging outlandish prices for services given, rather than letting the free market do its work (http://youtu.be/0uPdkhMVdMQ). In other words, a monopoly is being created by a political persuasion that says they do not like monopolies. And their view of corporations is skewed (like Democrats of today (post-JFK Democrats):
★ One last point, the most important. Unlike big business when it makes mistakes, big government cannot go out of business. Unlike corrupt government, corrupt business cannot print money and thereby devalue a nation’s currency. Businesses cannot coerce you by force (tax liens, garnishing of wages, or armed IRS officials, etc) into an action. So the “greed” of the corporation pales in comparison to the greed of government. (http://tinyurl.com/bx66syp)
So these anarchists and socialists and misguided youth are nothing but a bunch of cyber bullies who commit felonies in the guise of “helping.” Which leads me to one of my most loved CS Lewis quote that exemplifies a truth:
★ “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” – CS Lewis, God in the Dock.
Reagan said, in perpetuity to Adam Smith through to our day, that “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.'” Similarly, Anonymous can keep their “help” to themselves. And when they do not, the anti-hacker-hackers, The Web Ninjas, are there to hack into their databases and turn over what they find to the proper authorities:
★ One particular anti-hacking group calling itself ‘Team Web Ninjas’ has already posted what they say are the names, addresses, phone numbers and pictures of LulzSec. (http://tinyurl.com/6d2a33s)
Team Web Ninjas… LOVE IT!
Whole Text of Anonymous’ First Press Release:
This couldn’t get more left wing/pro-Palestinian. It looks as if Hamas themselves wrote this… maybe the Turkish chapter? (RedHack is a left wing [Marxist] group of hackers affiliated with Anonymous). I will emphasize this throughout:
Greetings World
For far too long, Anonymous has stood by with the rest of the world and watched in despair the barbaric, brutal and despicable treatment of the Palestinian people in the so called “Occupied Territories” by the Israel Defense Force. Like so many around the globe, we have felt helpless in the face of such implacable evil. And today’s insane attack and threatened invasion of Gaza was more of the same.
But when the government of Israel publicly threatened to sever all Internet and other telecommunications into and out of Gaza they crossed a line in the sand. As the former dictator of Egypt Mubarack learned the hard way – we are ANONYMOUS and NO ONE shuts down the Internet on our watch. To the IDF and government of Israel we issue you this warning only once. Do NOT shut down the Internet into the “Occupied Territories”, and cease and desist from your terror upon the innocent people of Palestine or you will know the full and unbridled wrath of Anonymous. And like all the other evil governments that have faced our rage, you will NOT survive it unscathed.
To the people of Gaza and the “Occupied Territories”, know that Anonymous stands with you in this fight. We will do everything in our power to hinder the evil forces of the IDF arrayed against you. We will use all our resources to make certain you stay connected to the Internet and remain able to transmit your experiences to the world. As a start, we have put together the Anonymous Gaza Care Package – http://bit.ly/XH87C5 – which contains instructions in Arabic and English that can aid you in the event the Israel government makes good on it’s threat to attempt to sever your Internet connection. It also contains useful information on evading IDF surveillance, and some basic first aid and other useful information. We will continue to expand and improve this document in the coming days, and we will transmit it to you by every means at our disposal. We encourage you to download this package, and to share it with your fellow Palestinians to the best of your ability.
We will be with you. No matter how dark it may seem, no matter how alone and abandoned you may feel – know that tens of thousands of us in Anonymous are with you and working tirelessly around the clock to bring you every aid and assistance that we can.
We Are Anonymous
We Are Everywhere
We Are Legion
We Do Not Forgive
We Do Not ForgetTo the oppressors of the innocent Palestinian people, it is too late to EXPECT US
`Freedom`As Understood in Pali-Speak:
`Defend` As Understood in Pali-Speak:
Anonymous Aligns Itself With `Anarcho-Leftist` Organizations and Causes ~ `Social-Justice` As An Excuse To Commit Felonies
Big Government has this on the Anonymous arrests:
As an influential member of Anonymous and two other splinter groups known as” LulzSec” and “Internet Feds,” Monsegur is alleged to have spearheaded multiple cyberattacks against various business and governments in the US and elsewhere in the world, according to the unsealed indictment.
[….]
Five other prominent hackers with LulzSec were also exposed by Monsegur.
From FOX News:
As a result of Monsegur’s cooperation, which was confirmed by numerous senior-level officials, the remaining top-ranking members of LulzSec were arrested or hit with additional charges Tuesday morning. The five charged in the LulzSec conspiracy indictment expected to be unsealed were identified by sources as: Ryan Ackroyd, aka “Kayla” and Jake Davis, aka “Topiary,” both of London; Darren Martyn, aka “pwnsauce” and Donncha O’Cearrbhail, aka “palladium,” both of Ireland; and Jeremy Hammond aka “Anarchaos,” of Chicago.
Hammond was arrested on access device fraud and hacking charges and is believed to have been the main person behind the devastating December hack on Stratfor, a private company that provides geopolitical analysis to governments and others. Millions of emails were stolen and then published on Wikileaks; credit card numbers and other confidential information were also stolen, law enforcement sources told FoxNews.com.
Hammond has reportedly been a fixture of the Chicago anarchist scene and is said to have been active with numerous left-leaning groups. He was previously sentenced to two years in prison for hacking into the website of a conservative group known as “Protest Warrior,” which organizes counterprotests to those of anti-war activists. He has also been arrested numerous times over the last nine years; the Chicago Tribune notes that those convictions range from disorderly conduct to computer hacking to felony mob action. The Tribune article details Hammond’s extensive background in “hacking to fight for social justice” and liberal activism. (Side note: the article also notes that Hammond’s mother is a Tea Party activist!).