Trump counterterrorism adviser blames Russia for election hacks

[DonViejo]

Source: Politico




In a break with his boss, Thomas Bossert said Russian entities clearly tried to meddle in the 2016 race.

By ALI WATKINS 07/20/2017 12:49 PM EDT

ASPEN — President Donald Trump’s chief counterterrorism adviser said Thursday that the Russian government clearly tried to manipulate the 2016 election, and declared that the Obama administration’s retaliatory sanctions didn’t go far enough.

“There’s a pretty clear and easy answer to this and it’s 'yes,'” Thomas Bossert said when asked whether the Russians worked to manipulate the U.S. election — a widely held conclusion that his boss in the Oval Office has repeatedly questioned.

The Obama White House’s response — kicking out 35 diplomats and closing two Russian diplomatic facilities in December — “wasn’t adequate in my mind,” Bossert, a top national security aide under former President George W. Bush, added during a wide-ranging discussion at the National Security Forum in Aspen.

Trump has repeatedly questioned the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that Moscow meddled in the 2016 election with the intent of helping Trump win. Trump said he pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin on the issue during their recent meeting at the G-20 in Germany, but the two sides offered different accounts, with Russia saying Trump accepted Putin’s denials.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/20/tom-bossert-blames-russia-election-hacks-240763

[Botany]

2. It was not meddling.

It was an act of war by a hostile foreign power and Trump and many of the Republicans
worked in collusion w/them to pull of a coup.

[flibbitygiblets]

3. Thank you Botany! "Meddling" is that annoying thing my mother in law does.

But if she tried to change my vote to go for tRump, I'd cut a bitch.

[NewJeffCT]

7. the bad guys on Scooby Doo

also complain about the meddling kids

[dalton99a]

4. +1

[neohippie]

5. Tillerson wants to work with Russia

Is it an if you can't beat them join them thing with this administration?

Tillerson's plan to let Russia help us with cyber-security seems to be moving forward

[Progressive dog]

6. So Thomas Bossert opposes lifting the existing sanctions

and claims that the White House is exploring more "draconian" retaliations.
He continues to work for Trump, the President who holds secret meetings with Putin to discuss "adoption." He still works for Trump, the President who made an agreement to let Assad and Putin have free rein in Syria. He still works for Trump, the President who takes Putin's word over overwhelming evidence gathered by US intelligence.
Thomas Bossert still works for Trump so this is just more of the "blame Obama" for Putin/Trump's cyber attack on our elections. It is a distraction.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. "The Obama White House's response...'wasn't adequate in my mind,'"

Anything more than that would most likely require Congressional approval. And yes, that same Congress that went by the name "No".