Is Moscow trying to influence Trump-Clinton race?

[DonViejo]

The unknown identity of a mysterious hacker claiming to be the sole architect behind the infiltration of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has raised fears that Russia may be trying to influence the U.S. election.

The idea sounds like the work of conspiracy theorists — but both security and foreign policy experts say it fits with a historical pattern of Russian intelligence operations. “I think it would be naive of us to rule that out,” said Jason Healey, a director at the Atlantic Council who has worked on cyber defenses at the White House.

The hack comes as the Senate is weighing its annual intelligence policy bill, which would establish a committee specifically to counter “active measures by Russia to exert covert influence.”

The firm that investigated the breach for the DNC attributed the attack to the Russian government and most onlookers originally interpreted it as traditional espionage — a straightforward way of gathering intelligence about the American political landscape, something the U.S. itself does.

more
http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/284848-is-moscow-trying-to-influence-trump-clinton-race

[bemildred]

1. More massive projection from inside the beltway.

There is not anything Russia could or would want to do that would make the election better than it already is from their point of view.

We are divided. The EU is divided. Yet we are driving China and Russia together. And we did it to ourselves. Nothing much to do with Russia, other than propping up Assad, who was really small potatoes in the beginning of the remaking of the Middle East to suit our wishes, and thwarting us in Ukraine. Why would Russia want to interfere in any way with that?

I would be so hands off in their shoes it would be hard to find me at all. The last thing Putin would want to do is give us an external enemy to focus on instead of each other. I would be sending plaintive bleats of concern about us, like Putin is doing.

[Her Sister]

2. Trump gives Putin and the like: HARD Hard-ons!

They can't even hide them! They're literally drooling!

[Adrahil]

3. Of course.

Putin would much rather deal with Trump. Trump is a narcissist, and a KGB officer knows how to exploit narcissism.