Democrats Say WikiLeaks Is a Russian Front, U.S. Intelligence Isn’t So Sure

[applegrove]

Democrats Say WikiLeaks Is a Russian Front, U.S. Intelligence Isn’t So Sure

by Nancy A. Youssef and Shane Harris at the Daily Beast

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/12/democrats-say-wikileaks-is-a-russian-front-u-s-intelligence-isn-t-so-sure.html

"SNIP...........

But four U.S. military and intelligence officials told The Daily Beast that the relationship between Russia and WikiLeaks is not so clear cut. Undoubtedly, the group has benefited from the work of Russian hackers, who passed purloined emails to WikiLeaks. But does that mean that WikiLeaks is taking orders from Vladimir Putin and doing his bidding?

“For Russia, WikiLeaks is more like a useful idiot because they [WikiLeaks] are too cowardly and dumb to be in on the master plan,” one U.S. official told The Daily Beast, describing the website as essentially giving cover to Russian hackers.

Military and intelligence officials are convinced that WikiLeaks is an ongoing threat to U.S. national security and privacy owing to its leaks of classified documents and emails. But its precise relationship with Russia has been a subject of internal debate. Some do see the group as being in cahoots with the Kremlin. But others find that WikiLeaks is acting mainly as the beneficiary of stolen documents, not unlike a journalistic organization.

The intelligence agencies’ carefully worded statement last week about Russia’s role in hacking the DNC and other organizations suggests that there’s no consensus on precisely how WikiLeaks and Russia work together. Referring to two other outfits that have disclosed stolen emails, the statement read, “The recent disclosures of alleged hacked e-mails on sites like DCLeaks.com and WikiLeaks and by the Guccifer 2.0 online persona are consistent with the methods and motivations of Russian-directed efforts.”


............SNIP"

[Todays_Illusion]

1. Wikileaks is part of the network of anti-all/any national governments, libertarian. Their mission

is to prove all governments are evil, and promote the idea, let the wealthiest, bankers and corporations do the governing directly.

[Foggyhill]

4. Assange has a personnal beefs with hrc

Drops info only about her and never about the biggest corporate slug ever trump
Never goes after Putin or the oligarch
Never vets anything making him more a pr agency or a fence than a journalist
He said he didn't care if documents were forged
He didn't care if anyone's privacy was caught in the crossfire
And has fascist and anti Semitic leanings
He thinks Jews aka bankers control the world so hey!
I call him a lying sack of shit

[Todays_Illusion]

7. I agree he has destroyed any credibility he had if any by making his mission priority to destroy

Hillary. But it fits this election where Trump's candidacy is a slam against the idea that we can select a leader and will support a total incompetent vulgarian pretend billionaire.

[MADem]

2. SOMEONE is paying Assange's "rent" at that Embassy.

This isn't just a "Let's tweak America's nose" exercise. Assange has more than worn out his welcome and clearly Russia is making it worth Ecuador's while to keep that idiot on ice (and controllable).

Let's go to that swell (LOL--y'all had better realize this is SNARK, this link) "Sputnik News" who can't help telling on themselves!

This is the WHOLE article so you do not have to click.

Russia Becomes Major Market for Ecuador - President Correa © Flickr/ Phillip Barron

BUSINESS 17:04 08.08.2016(updated 17:05 08.08.2016) Get short URL 01235190 The Russian market has become one of the main non-oil markets for Ecuador, the South-American country's President Rafael Correa told Sputnik. QUITO (Sputnik) — The trade relations between Ecuador and Russia are expanding despite lack of large investments, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa told Sputnik, calling for joint funding of bilateral projects. "The Russian market has become one of the largest non-oil markets for the country (Ecuador), especially regarding bananas and flowers. We have a positive trade balance with Russian. We import raw agricultural materials and some other goods from Russia," Correa said, adding that there are no large Russian investments to Ecuador. He stressed the need to develop bilateral ties in the field of funding of various projects. Ecuadorian President slammed US-EU sanctions against Russia, stating that his country would never support sanctions imposed unilaterally.

Read more: https://sputniknews.com/business/201608081044058163-ecuador-russia-correa-trade/

Aside from the poor editing, I have to laugh at the name of the reporter (rather Trumpian!).


Quid pro quo!

[charlyvi]

3. Wikileaks publishes submissions from the Russian hacks....

with no curation or questioning the validity of such submissions. Therefore, it doesn't matter if Wikileaks is taking orders or doing Russia's bidding in a give and take relationship. The result is the same. In any event, Wikileaks can no longer claim to be an impartial beacon of transparency.....they are being "transparent" in a very politically partial way.

[randome]

5. I think they are probably not being directly controlled by Russia.

But they are doing Russia's bidding as a matter of course. And to classify them as some sort of 'journalistic organization' is laughable.

Wikileaks is a fence. They deal with stolen goods that others risk their lives and/or reputations for. They are cowards, not journalists.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]You have to play the game to find out why you're playing the game. -Existenz[/center][/font][hr]

[charlyvi]

6. Exactly.

Whether they are mindless dupes or knowing partners, the effect is the same.

[randome]

8. We had the same thought at nearly the same time!

[hr][font color="blue"][center]You have to play the game to find out why you're playing the game. -Existenz[/center][/font][hr]

[charlyvi]

10. Great minds, huh? LOL!

[GeorgeGist]

9. USEFUL IDIOTS is so much better.

For Russia, WikiLeaks is more like a useful idiot because they [WikiLeaks] are too cowardly and dumb to be in on the master plan,” one U.S. official told The Daily Beast,

[Bill USA]

11. I say WikiLeaks is an enabler of the Russian campaign to promote their candidate, the Donald.

Russia would not release "hacked" emails (as modified, added to) if they were identifiable as the source of he "hacked" emails. They are sensitive enough to World opinions so as to prefer to not be identified as the hacker into a U.S. political party's emails system.

What Wikileaks does is give Russia a way to get embarrassing/damaging emails (as modified, added to) out in the public eye to embarrass U.S. and possibly affect the U.S. Presidential election (they would rather have a twit like the Donald in there rather than have to face Hillary Clinton).

Russia helps WikiLeaks by giving them material to leak to give them more notoriety and grow their influence (and pump-up their collective egos). Wikileaks helps Russia by giving them cover. It could very well be, without WikiLeaks, Russia wouldn't be leaking any emails (bona fide or fabricated) due to the world-wide public relations negatives to being identified as the hacker.

It's a symbiotic relationship. Wikileaks is helping Russia achieve its aims - and providing deniability (Putin: "We didn't hack the U.S. emails. Obama is a idiot ...Ha-ha-ha." This enables Russia to get the "hacked" emails out AND say "Fuck you to Obama" (-- or to the U.S. Intelligence community) --- a win - win! At the same time Russia, by giving Wikeleaks material to leak, is boosting WikiLeaks "street-cred". WikiLeaks doesn't care if the emails are legitimate, hacked from the DNC, or are fabricated (or modified )emails. What the fuck do they care? The third party in all of this is, of course, GOP tv -- M$M. GOP-tv, which is actually the Public Relations arm of the GOP, gets some good copy to talk about and draw in more viewers. Notice how M$M doesn't have any qualms about reporting on WikiLeaks "hacked" emails trusting Julian Assange/WikiLeaks to authenticate them as genuine. As if they can be authenticated. The Public Relations arm of the GOP doesn't give a shit if they are real or just fabrications of Putin's stooges. And then they just might hurt Clinton enough to get the crotch grabber into the White House. What's to not like about this scam??

[Hortensis]

13. Headline is duplicitous to encourage people to click on.

The story then goes on to say basically what "Democrats" have been saying because that's what our intelligence services have been saying. Someone must have irresponsibly mentioned Wikileaks being a "Russian front," rather than a tool, but I never heard it and it's not the point.

In however limited a manner Putin might have initially started stirring our pot over here, he must find the situation that's developed full of potential for encouraging chaos and destabilization.