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More Russian US Election Interference Malarkey |
| By
Stephen Lendman |
| This long ago discredited dead horse won’t die. It keeps resurfacing in
new forms - the latest from the Russophobic right-wing Daily Beast (DB). It claims “Russians appear(ed) to “use Facebook to push pro-Trump rallies (in 17 US cities) during” last year’s presidential election. What evidence does DB cite? None! How can it when none exists. Endless claims about alleged Russian election interference were and remain spurious. DB: “Suspected Russia propagandists on Facebook tried to organize more than a dozen pro-Trump rallies in Florida during last year’s election…called ‘Florida Goes Trump”…unfolding simultaneously in 17 different cities and towns in the battleground state.” Countless rallies were held nationwide for both major party candidates. No evidence suggests Russian involvement in any of them - or anything else by its government to hack or otherwise interfere in America’s political process, or anywhere else. Groups promoting pro-Trump rallies through Facebook used different names in different areas, nothing indicating an association with Russia. Individuals behind them, operating from various locations, represented their own interests, not the Kremlin’s. DB cited a US intelligence report, claiming one group was financed by “a close Putin ally with ties to Russian intelligence.” Claims and reports by America’s intelligence community since last year provided no evidence substantiating its accusations. Refusing to reveal proof when asked showed claims made about alleged Russian interference were spurious. No hacking occurred, no Russian-sponsored pro-Trump rallies, no meddling of any kind. In early September, Facebook’s chief security officer Alex Stamos said so-called inauthentic accounts were discovered, ones he characterized as carrying “divisive social and political messages across the ideological spectrum…(unrelated to last year’s) presidential election, voting, or a particular candidate” - nothing connected to the Kremlin. Lots of rallies, social media activities and other actions related to the presidential campaign supported both major candidates and others - none of it connected to Russia, no evidence suggesting otherwise. Trump’s Florida campaign manager Susie Wiles said “groups…across the state (and elsewhere were) unaffiliated with the campaign.” They had little impact on the election. DB’s article called “exclusive” offered lots of smoke and no fire - nothing suggesting the Kremlin organized pro-Trump rallies through Facebook or in any other way in Florida or anywhere else. The article revealed nothing other than DB’s hostility toward Russia, nothing suggesting Kremlin interference in last year’s election - or any others. A Final Comment On Thursday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company will turn over around 3,000 pro-Trump campaign ads on its site to congressional investigators, falsely attributed to Russia. He’s part of the problem, perpetuating the long ago discredited claim about Russian interference in last year’s campaign. “We will continue our investigation into what happened on Facebook in this election. We may find more, and if we do, we will continue to work with the government,” Zuckerberg blustered, ludicrously adding: “I don’t want anyone to use our tools to undermine democracy. That’s not what we stand for.” Facebook uses the neocon/CIA-connected Washington Post, AP News and other disreputable so-called fact-checkers to censor unwanted truth-telling on vital issues. Last year, I was censored, my truth-telling called fake news, punished by banishment for weeks. Maybe again after this remark. VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. |