Russian propaganda in recent elections has undermined many American ideals
Editor:
Tuesday, Christopher Krebs, President Trump’s head of US Cyber Security, broke out the champagne! He had been fired for publicly agreeing with Trump’s Attorney General William Barr’s assessment that the 2020 election results were accurate. (Old news but Wednesday the first fines on the Republican Party were imposed for frivolous litigation.)
Tuesday’s final release of that federal National Intelligence Council’s multi-year investigation “Foreign Threats to the US 2020 Federal Elections” (click here) confirmed that and more! It was finished under Trump but declassified by Biden.
“Foreign Threats…” is a breath of fresh air in a stale room. Some smart people will need to change their ways and reconsider the false information they have been fed.
The report detailed Russian, Iranian, and Chinese attempts to interfere with our country going back to 2014. The Chinese, contrary to what Republican politicians were saying, decided it was not worth the risk and focused on cyber espionage. Russia which they ignored actually has been engaged in a sophisticated operation feeding disinformation to our politicians and ultra conservative commentators the whole time.
However talking points were the tip of the iceberg according to the Feds. Spies, moles and assets with direct contact are named.
Troubling as it is only willing Russian assets will continue to feed us 1. unchecked facts, 2. arguments based on supposition and fear, and 3. Russia misinformation!
Basically we are all on notice that our airwaves are full of misinformation promulgated by venial politicians, uneducated or opportunistic commentators, and second-rate experts. For some I am sure its money and power above country. For others treason. Keep that in mind if you do not change the channel.
We should have known better than to think things had sunk this low in our beloved country. The fundamentals have never changed. The US is still a “melting pot” and a land of good will and freedom, and a land which has a traditional press reporting both sides position in context and accurately, and a land that rejects white supremacy and race based discrimination, and a land that believes in access to the polls and the freedom to vote, and a land where with good intentioned government workers, and a land welcoming people, and a land that prospers because of science and technology, and a capitalist country where the objective is to create opportunity for all, and a land with carefully considered sophisticated and fair laws, and a land that is always trying to do all the above better.
Those that reject those basics are no better than the insurrectionists and murderers who seized the capital Jan. 6th.
These standards were undermined by Russian propaganda. The declassified report shows the extent of the lies.
Conrad F. Cropsey
Albion
