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US Intel Officially Blames the Russian Government For Hacking DNC (theverge.com)

It's official, the Director of National Intelligence and Department of Homeland Security has blamed Russia for stealing and publishing archived emails from the Democratic National Committee in July. Wikileaks released over 19,000 emails and more than 8,000 attachments from the DNC in what was "part one of [their] new Hillary Leaks series." The Verge reports: "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," the statement reads. "We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia's senior-most officials could have authorized these activities." The release also mentions recent reports of attempted intrusions into voting systems in 20 different states, but says there is not yet enough evidence to attribute those attacks to the Russian government. Despite the acknowledged threat, the DNI says digital attacks are unlikely to directly alter election results. "It would be extremely difficult for someone, including a nation-state actor, to alter actual ballot counts or election results by cyber attack or intrusion," the statement reads. "This assessment is based on the decentralized nature of our election system in this country and the number of protections state and local election officials have in place." "Nevertheless," it continues, "DHS continues to urge state and local election officials to be vigilant."

30 of 287 comments (clear)

  1. a more likely scenario? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What if it's just people inside the DNC who are sick of the corruption? What if there are people inside the DNC who wanted Bernie to win and were angry when the DNC conspired to steal the primary election from him?

    What if the Russians aren't hacking the FBI, the NSA the DNC etc and it's all just people who are disgusted with the corruption? If the Russians were stealing secrets from these groups, you'd expect them to keep quiet rather than causing a ruckus that would result in increased scrutiny and heightened security.

    Knowing Hillary's dirty secrets and holding them would be terrific for blackmail. Leaking them to the public weakens her as a candidate and removes the material from future usefulness. My guess is that it's good samaritans rather than foreign spies.

    1. Re:a more likely scenario? by BradMajors · · Score: 3, Informative

      Seth Rich a DNC staffer was murdered soon after the leak. Seth is a more likely person responsible for the leak. The Obama regime is not likely to blame a Democrat for the leak.

    2. Re:a more likely scenario? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You mean like when blaming the Russians? LOL!

  2. Curse them for revealing the DNC's voter fraud! by ArtemaOne · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If it weren't for the Russians, the DNC and the Clinton camp would have gotten away with voter fraud in the primary! Oh, no one cares. Nevermind.

    1. Re:Curse them for revealing the DNC's voter fraud! by ArtemaOne · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You can send your vote to 3rd party. Obviously if you supported Sanders you're not likely to support Trump. There's Jill Stein and Gary Johnson, who aren't even on the same plane of evil and corrupt as the top party nominees.

    2. Re:Curse them for revealing the DNC's voter fraud! by LeftCoastThinker · · Score: 3, Insightful

      This exactly. We already know that Hillary has lied to congress (said she turned over all her emails while holding thousands of classified, work emails back; that's a felony), lied to the American people numerous times, and now, a disenfranchised DNC member (Seth Rich) leaked information to Wikileaks showing how Hillary stole the primary from Bernie Sanders and when Hillary found out about it she or someone else at the DNC had him murdered. So you can vote for a lying, murderous career politician lawyer (Hillary), Donald Trump, or vote for a libertarian like Gary Johnson who actually wants to protect the constitution and the freedoms that it gives us. The two party system only works until we stop voting like lemmings for one or the other and pick the best candidate.

      If a third party candidate were ever going to win (and ever needed to win) now is the time. Both Hillary and Trump have sub 50% likability numbers, and if all the people who dislike Trump and Hillary voted for Johnson, we would be close to a three way tie out of the gate.

        OTOH, as Kaang (or was it Kodos) once said "Go ahead and vote for a third party; throw your vote away! It's a two party system people, you have to vote for one of us..."

      --
      If you disagree, please post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like
    3. Re:Curse them for revealing the DNC's voter fraud! by JoshuaZ · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Talking crap about a candidate is not voter fraud. Coordinating with one's own front runner when it is clear they are going to win is not voter fraud. You and I may object to some or all of these things, but that doesn't make it voter fraud. Moreover, part of the hacking here isn't just DNC emails but is actual attempts at hacking *election systems* which should bother you in any event.

    4. Re:Curse them for revealing the DNC's voter fraud! by JoshuaZ · · Score: 4, Insightful

      So, you are now conflating two wildly different things. We were discussing the emails. In fact, you explicitly brought up the emails. You are now bringing up issues with caucuses. So let's discuss that issue (which we should keep in mind has nothing to do with DNC emails). Caucuses are very complicated (and frankly terrible as a system) and multiple votes are a standard aspect. For example, in Maine (where I caucused) there were multiple stages between the first count and the actual vote. This is a standard thing, and people who leave early are a standard factor. The other issue that came up was Sanders people failing to go to state conventions even after the local conventions were done, and in fact, in at least some occasions similar issues took place in reverse where they benefited Sanders. See e.g. http://www.politifact.com/nevada/statements/2016/apr/07/blog-posting/no-bernie-sanders-didnt-retroactively-win-nevada/. Caucus obnoxious rules is not voter fraud, and none of this is relevant to the emails being discussed.

  3. Yeah, we know how you feel by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...said pretty much every country in South America and the middle east that have had the U.S. government interfering in their elections for decades.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  4. Re:Hmm by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's a tradition. For almost 25 years we were looking for a new enemy, but why bother when the old one works so well? Never change a running system.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  5. Putin's next tough guy photo-op... by bazmail · · Score: 3, Funny

    In front of a PC coding in C?

  6. Re:A collection of articles on Russian influence o by bazmail · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Wow it's almost as if you had all these references waiting for an article like this. Who does that? ... he asked knowingly

  7. Re:Double standard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Whether the Russians had anything to do with it is irrelevant until people start acknowledging the appalling corruption that the hacks revealed. That should be first and foremost in the discussion. Whether it was the Russians, Chinese, North Koreans, or Klingons doesn't really matter. That piece of information takes second priority to that fact that our elections are rigged.

    Good God, why is this so hard to understand?

  8. Re:Double standard by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 4, Informative

    Gawd man, do you ever take a break? If this happened to the GOP, the Press would use it against Trump all day long, and three times during the debate. In fact, they are already trying to blame Trump for it.

    Instead of trying to blame Trump, they should be looking right at DWS (who was in charge) and Hillary, and trying to tie it to Hillary's Homebrew basement dwelling server.

    And quite frankly, it shouldn't matter the "who" did it. The fact that it did happen, and everything looks so awful for the DNC and Clinton Campaign because of it, it should be news all day long, but somehow it doesn't matter as much as some chick from 20 years ago that Trump said "mean things" about.

    --
    Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
  9. Another outsourced job: exposing wrongdoing? by mveloso · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Wait, the US Government is accusing another government of attempting to influence an election by exposing wrongdoing?

    That's bizarre.

    I suppose if the press was doing its job instead of being Democratic spear-carriers we wouldn't need some other country to do the press' work for them.

  10. All the evidence by phantomfive · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Here is the relevant text from the government's release (ps what kind of url is that? files.scribblelive.com?):

    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. These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the US election process. Such activity is not new to Moscow—the Russians have used similar tactics and techniques across Europe and Eurasia, for example, to influence public opinion there. We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia's senior-most officials could have authorized these activities.

    There's not a whole lot of evidence there. It would be interesting to know what sort of things Russia has done in Europe and Asia.

    --
    "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
  11. Re:Double standard by HornWumpus · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The evidence is an IP address coming from a Rusky VPN provider. That's all.

    It's not like the Clinton campaign doesn't have a partner in the executive branch. See also: All the other things she's given a pass on that others have gone to prison for.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  12. Re:Double standard by mukinrestak · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Don't worry, man, most people do understand, they're just getting their records corrected.

  13. Re:Hmm by Sarten-X · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's always Russia, because we still haven't definitively settled the dick-measuring contest left over from World War II. It's hard to measure while the two main contestants (and new challenger China) keep simultaneously participating in pissing contests and counting notches after fucking other countries.

    The metaphor's getting a bit strained, but the bottom line is that it's a mess that hasn't been resolved in the last century. America was doing great in the 20's, horribly in the 30's, then somewhat stabilized after WWII. Meanwhile, Russia was doing decently in the 20s, badly oppressed in the 30s, then pretty unstable (but pretending otherwise) after WWII until the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. After that, there have been several factions fighting for power, and one of the more aggressive factions has taken control, now looking to solidify Russia as the main superpower of the world.

    Then, of course, there are all of Russia's allies that have caches of Soviet weapons, and the ongoing corruption that allows them to get more. Even if "hurt America" weren't Russia's intent, there's enough belligerence in Russia's government that most conflicts can be traced back to some Russian office.

    On the American side, we've done little to discourage such saber-rattling. In a burst of benevolence, we've helped overthrow oppressive government regimes, only to be pulled back by our own isolationist factions, leaving a power vacuum that attracts more oppressive dictators. We also tend to be vindictive, highlighting the Russian connections when a bad guy gets a delivery of shiny new weapons.

    It's all very complicated, and has several symptoms of an ongoing cold war. Russia makes a public affair about our insecure elections, we make a public affair about their corrupt government. We build new weapons that could threaten Russia, they steal designs and threaten us. It's a stupid dance, and this is just another turn.

    --
    You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
  14. Re:Do me a favor, open the door and let 'em in. by sycodon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Wait...so Obama and the Dems havetheir panties in a bunch because Russia (supposedly) just did pretty much what Yahoo just did at the behest of the Obama and the Dems.

    WTF?

    --
    When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
  15. Nothing to see here by rworne · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "It would be extremely difficult for someone, including a nation-state actor, to alter actual ballot counts or election results by cyber attack or intrusion,"

    That's rich. With all the whining and hand-wringing about not trusting electronic voting machines since the Bush administration, we already know many cannot be audited and leave no paper trail of ballots cast by voters.

    Yeah, they can't because we simply won't know if they did.

    --
    I tried every decent and legal way I could think of to resolve the issue w/the business before I rented the chicken suit
  16. Russian digital immigrants! by TiggertheMad · · Score: 4, Funny

    Trump will build a firewall and get the Russians to pay for it.

    --

    HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
  17. Re:Do me a favor, open the door and let 'em in. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yeah there is a difference, our own government spying on us is far more offensive than a foreign government. I have no problem with our government spying on Russia, in fact I expect it.

  18. Re:Do me a favor, open the door and let 'em in. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Wait a minute. The story was EXACTLY THAT when people were complaining about spying. Government stooges on this site would respond with "well, it's okay to spy on other nations. They do it all time. It's their job."

    But when it's USA being spied on (hypothetically, these russia claims are complete bullshit).. whoa ho ho, now it's "act of war", "rally the troops" time.

    Fucking hypocrites.

  19. Re:Just like the 1900's by amiga3D · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Are the same people that bugged Merkel's phone bitching about the DNC hack? It's not like the DNC is a government agency. It's a political party or as I like to call it, one of the two mafias that rig elections in this country.

  20. Re:Double standard by Rakarra · · Score: 4, Insightful

    RNC establishment exists, but is confused and conflicted

    There was a lot more visible establishment Republican opposition to Trump than DNC opposition to Bernie, and I'm pretty sure a hack of the RNC would have revealed a lot of dirt as well. But it didn't happen, so we can only speculate.

  21. Whiners as well as incompetents by Crashmarik · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Just makes the Democrats look like whiners on top of being idiots. They should never have put what leaked in writing let alone email. Now they are complaining Russia took advantage of their incompetence.

    Having a corrupt administration is bad
    Having an incompetent corrupt administration is worse
    Having an incompetent corrupt administration that that blames everyone else is Venezuela

  22. Re:Double standard by rahvin112 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Nice to see the Trumpies out in full support of a foreign country directly tampering in a US Election, regardless of the fact that if we just let this go the next time will be even worse. The very idea of a foreign country interfering in our elections is an affront to our very democracy and a direct and present threat. But partisan people like you think it's no big deal because it hit the other guy.

    The next time it happens it might hit your side, think about that. And because of people like you our country won't have reacted this time so we will have directly encouraged the next attack.

    Let me let you in on something, this is a direct attack on our country. I'd be as outraged if it had happened to the green party or libertarian party. We cannot stand by and allow foreign countries to start tampering in our elections. We should respond directly to this attack, even if that involves a kinetic attack against the source.

  23. Re:Do me a favor, open the door and let 'em in. by poity · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Also witness the conflating of DNC's behavior with democracy itself. These leaks exposed anti-democratic machinations from the upper echelons of a major political party, and politicians along with everyone who has a microphone or a press credential are trying to convince us that this constitutes "interference" in our democratic process.

    INTERFERENCE

    Think about that for a moment. We are actually being told that those who expose anti-democratic behavior are a threat to our democracy, rather than those who carry out that anti-democratic behavior. It boggles the mind.

    What's truly offensive is the press is unwilling to show even a speck of skepticism, and in fact is very enthusiastically repeating this to all of us as if we're dumb.

    --
    your thin skin doesn't make me a troll
  24. Re:Do me a favor, open the door and let 'em in. by meta-monkey · · Score: 3, Interesting

    You aren't outraged?

    Because the Republicans haven't collaborated with Putin's efforts to poison the democratic process in the US?

    The left is bizarre to me. They're incensed about the leaks, about something naughty Trump said, but read Hillary's emails that she funded the moderate beheaders in Syria so Israel would be happy with a nuclear Iran and now we've got 400k dead, ISIS, and the migrant crisis threatening to destabalize Europe and they're totally cool with that. I do not get it. I mean, I get why the media and the political classes do it: money. But I have no idea what your average left-leaning voter gets out of this.

    --
    We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.