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[LordOfLore]

Link.

The arrest of several of Russia’s top cybersecurity figures has led to speculation that there’s a shakeup inside the country’s national security service related to hacks surrounding the US election.

A series of surprising arrests of some of Russia’s top cybersecurity figures has left the international cybersecurity officials and analysts wondering whether Russia is cleaning house of suspected spies, or going through an internal shakeup of the FSB, Russia’s national security service.

At some point in December, Ruslan Stoyanov, a well-respected researcher with the Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab, and Sergei Mikhailov, head of the FSB’s Center of information Security, were arrested by Russian police as part of what Russia’s Kommersant newspaper described as a probe into possible treason. No date of arrest has been made public, though Kommersant reported that Stoyanov last logged into his private social media account on December 4, and Mikhailov on December 5. The Moscow-based Novaya Gazeta newspaper cited sources as saying Mikhailov was arrested during a meeting with other FSB officers in Moscow, and was taken from the room with a sack over his head.

On Thursday, REN-TV, a privately-owned TV channel in Russia, said a second FSB officer had also been arrested in December. They identified the man as Major Dmitry Dokuchayev, and reported he had served under Mikhailov in the the Center for Information Security. In another indication that Russia was seeing a high-level shakedown at the FSB, Kommersant reported that on January 13, the director of the Center for Information Security, Andrei Gerasimov, was fired. He was described as having close ties to cybersecurity companies, including Kaspersky Lab.

Kaspersky Lab confirmed that Stoyanov was under investigation for activity during a period predating his employment at the company, and added, in a public statement, “We do not possess details of the investigation. The work of Kaspersky Lab's Computer Incidents Investigation Team is unaffected by these developments."

Stoyanov’s LinkedIn page lists his previous employer as the Ministry of the Interior’s Cyber Crime Unit.

Four intelligence officers working in various branches of the US government told BuzzFeed News this week that they had no insight into the arrests of Stoyanov and Mikhailov, with one explaining, “it’s above my paygrade.”

“There are a small handful of people who would know if one or both of these men was a US asset or in any way involved in any intelligence operation, and I’m not one of them,” said the US intelligence officer, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the story. “Obviously, this could also be an internal struggle within the FSB, in which case we would have little daylight into what was happening.”

The case against Stoyanov and Mikhailov has been filed in a secret military tribunal under Article 275 of the country’s constitution, which allows the government to investigate individuals they suspect of spying for a foreign state.

Whether or not their cases have anything to do with the Russia’s involvement in the hacks targeting the US 2016 elections remains unclear. Fancy Bear, the group named by US cybersecurity companies as being behind the hacking and leaking of damaging emails from top DNC officials, has been tied back to the GRU, Russia’s main foreign intelligence agency. Cozy Bear, a group also believed to have been within the DNC’s system, has been linked to the FSB.

More at the link.

 

[Guy.brush]

For a bit of context, bit of a slow burn puzzle at the beginning, but one hell of a reveal.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/...ussia-raises-questions-of-motive-863845443847
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/...-tacit-corroboration-of-us-intel-863859267681

 

[funkystudent]

Tightening up any loose ends before the entire western world starts a cyber war.

Or they did the job. Now Putin is making them disappear and burning any evidence.

 

[AzureSky]

“There are a small handful of people who would know if one or both of these men was a US asset or in any way involved in any intelligence operation, and I’m not one of them,” said the US intelligence officer, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the story.

would Trump know?

 

[Unit 33]

Cold War 2: Cyberboogaloo

 

[Kayhan]

Clean up?

 

[Interface_2037]

All started just after the leak about the ex British MI6 officers 'Trump dossier'.

From the BBC's diplomatic editor Mark Urban, who has many contacts within the intelligence community.

Make of that what you will.

 

[mnz]

would Trump know?

Imagine the intelligence officer having to tell Trump about spies in Russia whose lives are on the line.

 

[Maximo]

For a bit of context, bit of a slow burn puzzle at the beginning, but one hell of a reveal.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/...ussia-raises-questions-of-motive-863845443847
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/...-tacit-corroboration-of-us-intel-863859267681

100% worth a watch its nice to have something like this to put everything together.

 

[The Technomancer]

would Trump know?

Oh

Shit

 

[marrec]

would Trump know?

I don't think Trump would be made aware of individual CIA assets.

Edit:

Especially in December.

 

[BowieZ]

In Russia, rumors about the arrested men are running rampant. Russia's Tzargrad news site published a story claiming that Mikhailov had secretly been the leader of a notorious Russian hacking group called Shaltay-Boltay (or Humpty Dumpty), and that the group was secretly backed by the CIA. The article, which was shared widely within Russian social media, was suddenly taken off the site, though an archived version is still being shared.

So at some point within December, there were three arrests (one of which was dramatic in front of other intelligence officers) and one firing. More than Maddow said. Interesting.

---

Also, here's the Google translation of that archived Russian rumour site, out of interest (but it's obviously not corroborated in any way):

https://translate.google.com.au/tra...&u=http://archive.is/zcyAh&edit-text=&act=url

Hackers from the "Humpty Dumpty" also hacked e-mail editor in chief of Constantinople Alexander Dugin. They published political scientist compiled a list of politicians whom he wanted "to be actively involved in the information policy of Russia" for their position "against American hegemony in favor of a unipolar world." After that, it became apparent that the "Humpty" - not the usual hackers tied to financial fraud, and people pursuing specific political objectives.

So from a cursory understanding, the hacker group "Humpty Dumpty" might have had something do with the hacking of armageddon fascist Aleksandr Dugin, so perhaps he was behind the dossier leaks?

About Alexsandr Dugin:

Aleksandr Gelyevich Dugin (Russian: Алекса́ндр Ге́льевич Ду́гин; born 7 January 1962) is a Russian political scientist known for his fascist views[4][5][6] who calls to hasten the "end of times" with all out war.[7][8][9][10][11] He has close ties with the Kremlin and the Russian military,[12][13] having served as an advisor to State Duma speaker Gennadiy Seleznyov[14] and key member of the ruling United Russia party Sergei Naryshkin.[15] However, commentators dispute his influence: in the words of Alexander Nevzorov, "if we had had Sergey Kurginyan and Dugin instead of Putin, there would have been hell for all of us to pay, they would have unleashed a European and World War without a shadow of a doubt, without considering consequences at all."[16] But "Dugin and Kurginyan do not have the slightest impact on what is going on in the Kremlin and do not even get coaching there".[16] Dugin was the leading organizer of the National Bolshevik Party, National Bolshevik Front, and Eurasia Party. He is the author of more than 30 books, among them Foundations of Geopolitics (1997) and The Fourth Political Theory (2007).

 

[poppedcollar69]

Couldn't you have come up with a non click bait thread title OP?

 

[BowieZ]

More from Tzargrad:

Experts believe that Donald Trump was able to win the election due Cambridge Analytica company that uses BigData in political campaigns and public relations promotion, or black PR specific candidates.

The company for many years has studied the possibility of influence on the electorate by "spot" campaign that takes into account not just an abstract social group, and all the data specified on the user, for example, Facebook. Existing technologies allow to target a specific audience, combining not only the sex factors, age, education and other basic information, and combinations thereof, and other, smaller preferences - for example, musical or culinary tastes, interests, hobbies, and so on. In short, everything that you tell about yourself on social networks.

While Hillary Clinton has relied on traditional methods such as ballot box stuffing in the media and discredit an opponent from a moral point of view, Trump's team resorted to the help of modern technologies of memes on Twitter to such a point that's targeting voters through the "big data".

The same principle can be used in Russia, believed, apparently, Mikhailov. Only here the goals can be opposed to national interests. Given that the "Humpty Dumpty" published discredit Russia and its supporters of the data that may have not only domestic but also geopolitical importance. And if you take into account the upcoming presidential elections in Russia in 2018, the case can not simply smell of kerosene.

Wait, how was I not aware of Cambridge Analytica before today?!

While the firm is strongly associated with the Republican side of politics in the US and the 'Leave' campaign in Britain, it has backed campaigns across the political spectrum. Steve Bannon, the former executive chairman of right-wing website Breitbart News who now serves as White House chief strategist, was reportedly on the company's board.

"Clearly in countries like the United States, you pick a side and you back it," Mr Nix said. The company also worked for Republican contenders Ted Cruz and Ben Carson and was reportedly backed by Robert Mercer, a hedge fund billionaire and prolific conservative donor.

In September, the Trump campaign paid Cambridge Analytica $5 million for its work, raising the eyebrows of privacy advocates concerned about the increasing commercial application of personal data.

But Mr Nix said people should not feel uneasy, arguing the data his firm collates is not particularly sensitive and is only useful to data science teams like his.

Steve Bannon's data firm in talks for lucrative White House contracts - The Independent

The data company that helped push Donald Trump to victory is now hoping it will win two lucrative contracts to boost White House policy messaging and to expand sales for the Trump Organization.

Cambridge Analytica, a data mining firm that uses personality profiling, claims Steve Bannon as a board member, who will soon officially be Mr Trump's chief strategist.

The firm is backed by billionaire investor Robert Mercer, whose daughter Rebekah sits on the 16-person Trump transition team.

The Secret Agenda of a Facebook Quiz - The New York Times

Do you panic easily? Do you often feel blue? Do you have a sharp tongue? Do you get chores done right away? Do you believe in the importance of art?

If ever you've answered questions like these on one of the free personality quizzes floating around Facebook, you'll have learned what's known as your Ocean score: How you rate according to the big five psychological traits of Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism. You may also be responsible the next time America is shocked by an election upset.

For several years, a data firm eventually hired by the Trump campaign, Cambridge Analytica, has been using Facebook as a tool to build psychological profiles that represent some 230 million adult Americans. A spinoff of a British consulting company and sometime-defense contractor known for its counterterrorism ”psy ops" work in Afghanistan, the firm does so by seeding the social network with personality quizzes. Respondents — by now hundreds of thousands of us, mostly female and mostly young but enough male and older for the firm to make inferences about others with similar behaviors and demographics — get a free look at their Ocean scores. Cambridge Analytica also gets a look at their scores and, thanks to Facebook, gains access to their profiles and real names.

EDIT: Jesus. It just keeps going. Meet Robert Mercer, the Mysterious Billionaire Benefactor of Breitbart - Newsweek

The billionaire has been contributing to federal political committees since 1998, according to FEC filings, and began giving to super PACs in 2010, after the Supreme Court ruled in the Citizens United case that such committees could receive unlimited donations. Since then, he has given $36.8 million to super PACs.

Close to half of that PAC money—$15.5 million—went to Make America Number 1. When that super PAC was formed in April 2015 (as Keep the Promise 1), it backed Ted Cruz, but in June 2016 it changed names and candidates, shifting to Trump. At around the same time, one of its leaders, Kellyanne Conway, took on a major role in Trump's campaign, as campaign manager. Some two months later, another leader of that super PAC, David Bossie, joined Trump too. Rebekah Mercer took over the super PAC. ”When they get engaged in something, it's in a big way," says a person involved in Republican fundraising circuits. ”They don't do anything small."

The Mercers don't just support federal candidates. In 2014, the Mercer Family Foundation, a nonprofit Rebekah leads, awarded $18,300,979 in grants and contributions, according to financial filings. Those recipients include a few mainstream ones, such as the American Museum of Natural History and the Moving Picture Institute (Rebekah sits on the boards of both). But the majority of the foundation's beneficiaries are conservative, even fringe groups: the Heritage Foundation (Rebekah is on the board there too), the Cato Institute, the Manhattan Institute (Rebekah is a board member) and Citizens United. Some advocate for limited government, free markets and ”Judeo-Christian values." Another is led by researchers who have denied that humans caused global warming.

Contacted by Newsweek, representatives for more than a dozen of these organizations either declined to comment about the Mercers or did not respond to requests to do so. The few people who did agree to speak insist that Mercer isn't some nefarious political mastermind. ”In the times I've met him, never got any sense of his politics," says Richard Muller of Berkeley Earth, which consists of a team of former global-warming skeptics. (They now concede it is real.) ”We've always just discussed science."

One of Mercer's biggest and most intriguing investments was not in a nonprofit and does not appear listed anywhere—he gave at least $10 million to Breitbart News, according to someone involved in Republican fundraising circuits who asked that Newsweek not name him in order to protect his political relationships (he says he knows firsthand about the transaction). Bloomberg reported the money was invested in 2011.

This past August, Bannon left Breitbart to help run the Trump campaign and is about to assume a vital position in the administration. His appointment as a top aide has prompted widespread criticism, including accusations that he is a darling of misogynists, white supremacists and anti-Semites. Those critics point to Breitbart headlines during Bannon's tenure, such as ”Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy," ”Bill Kristol: Republican Spoiler, Renegade Jew" and ”Hoist It High and Proud: The Confederate Flag Proclaims a Glorious Heritage." Responding to the criticism, Bannon told The Wall Street Journal that the accusations are ”just nonsense." He further told The Hollywood Reporter, ”I'm not a white nationalist, I'm a nationalist." A spokesperson for the presidential transition team did not respond to a request for comment.

Bannon critics can apparently blame Rebekah; she pushed Trump to bring him on board, the Republican fundraising insider says. Her ties with Bannon go back a few years or more. They served together as officers of at least two nonprofits, Reclaim New York and the Government Accountability Institute. They have also produced at least one documentary together, Clinton Cash, a fearmongering look at the Clinton family's finances. It was also Rebekah who convinced Trump to hire Conway, according to the fundraising insider. ”She is like her dad," says the Media Research Center's Bozell. ”She understands issues, she understands people, she has a very good read on what's real and what's BS."

Rebekah, Conway and Bossie (who produced another documentary with Bannon and reportedly with Rebekah, Torchbearer, about Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson, and who led Citizens United, which received Mercer Family Foundation money) are now all on Trump's transition team. ”They look for talent, they rely on advice of friends, and they are very good to their friends," Bozell says. The Republican fundraising insider says Rebekah is the one making these decisions. ”Bob follows her lead," the insider says. ”He allows her to be the one who does the research, the one who asks the tough questions."

Still Draining the Swamp?

The entanglements involving the Mercer family, the Make America Number 1 super PAC and the Trump campaign are confusing. They may also be illegal. In a complaint to the FEC, the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that defends campaign ethics, alleged in October that the Trump campaign paid Bannon and Conway illegally by funneling money to them through Make America Number 1. FEC records show that after the pair joined the campaign, the PAC gave money to Conway's polling company and to Glittering Steel, a film production company Bannon is affiliated with. (He is said to run the elusive company and wrote and produced two of its films, Clinton Cash and Torchbearer.)

According to the Campaign Legal Center, there are no records showing that Bannon or Conway received money from the Trump campaign in the first few weeks they were working for it—but $247,000 from the super PAC did go to Conway's company during that time, and $15,000 went to Glittering Steel about a week before Bannon joined. The Campaign Legal Center also alleges that the Trump campaign's hiring of Conway and Bannon violated FEC rules because of their affiliations with Make America Number 1. The center further alleges that the super PAC's and the Trump campaign's use of data company Cambridge Analytica—in which Mercer has invested—was also a conflict of interest.

And going. 4 hours ago, from The Atlantic - What Does the Billionaire Family Backing Donald Trump Really Want?

”America is finally fed up and disgusted with its political elite. Trump is channeling this disgust, and those among the political elite who quake before the boombox of media blather do not appreciate the apocalyptic choice that America faces on Nov. 8."

The rare statement provided an unusual glimpse into the Mercers's views, reflecting a disdain for an elite political class of which they themselves are members.

This disdain could be one reason why the Mercers have not constructed their own donor network to rival that of the Koch brothers, or Paul Singer. Most elite Republican donors tend to favor establishment candidates like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio. The Mercers, tied as they are to the anti-establishment fervor sweeping the Republican Party in recent years, don't fit in. But their distance from their peers has only made them more relevant.

While everyone respects Rebekah Mercer as serious and smart, several sources said she could be prickly, and one of the operatives who has worked with her described her as a ”difficult person." That reputation may make it harder for her to build the relationships necessary for consolidating a network of other donors.

Mercer exerted a considerable amount of behind-the-scenes influence during the transition, weighing in even on subplots like choosing a new chair of the Republican National Committee. She had an official spot on the transition executive committee. But her role going forward is less clear. She's expected to help lead an outside group pushing the president's agenda in the vein of Obama For America. It's not clear what other donors will be involved. Though already there are signs of trouble; Politico reported that the Mercers were backing out of the group, which is to be led by Trump campaign digital director Brad Parscale and Mike Pence aide Nick Ayers. It's unclear how the situation will resolve itself.

Rebekah's husband is Sylvain Mirochnikoff, a managing director and "exotic equity derivatives trader" of Morgan Stanley.

The rise of GOP mega-donor Rebekah Mercer - The Washington Post

In a statement, Trump called Mercer ”a spectacular woman and leader."

”Her greatest desire is to make America great again," the statement read. ”Our country is lucky to have her support."

Friends were not surprised by the turn of events. Rebekah Mercer is not known for giving up, they said.

How Secretive Manhattan Heiress Rebekah Mercer Became One of the Most Powerful Women in Politics - Town & Country

Rebekah also played a part in lobbying against Mitt Romney as Secretary of State and in favor of Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions as attorney general, according to The Wall Street Journal.

 

[mnz]

For a bit of context, bit of a slow burn puzzle at the beginning, but one hell of a reveal.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/...ussia-raises-questions-of-motive-863845443847
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/...-tacit-corroboration-of-us-intel-863859267681

Yeah, putting all these different actions into context makes it look pretty obvious. This might be the biggest thing going on right now, even with all the other news coming every day.
I wonder if we will see Erdogan-style "clean up" of intelligence agencies soon, too.

These sanctions especially...for the US they are pretty meaningless, trade volume with Russia is tiny. But Europe will have a big problem. There are already countries that want to get rid of them and with the US pulling out, it wouldn't get easier to keep them. Merkel has been one of the strongest proponents of them. She seems to have no partners left outside of Europe.

 

[tiredheadcrab]

It's the title of the Buzzfeed article. It's also essentially the same perplexed sentiment expressed by Rachel Maddow last night.

More from Tzargrad:



Wait, how was I not aware of Cambridge Analytica before today?!




Steve Bannon’s data firm in talks for lucrative White House contracts - The Independent




The Secret Agenda of a Facebook Quiz - The New York Times




EDIT: Jesus. It just keeps going. Meet Robert Mercer, the Mysterious Billionaire Benefactor of Breitbart - Newsweek




And going. 4 hours ago, from The Atlantic - What Does the Billionaire Family Backing Donald Trump Really Want?

So they are targeting you with quizzes that analyze your social behavior and could or already have possible targeted you with political advertisements/memes/or possibly fake news? I am so cautious with Facebook lately. I barely give them access to anything on my phone except photos. I dont even give them access to my location even when using the app.

 

[norinrad]

Tightening up any loose ends before the entire western world starts a cyber war.

Or they did the job. Now Putin is making them disappear and burning any evidence.

Covering up for Donnie. I hope their families have already left the Federation.

 

[SenjutsuSage]

When exactly did Trump's people start getting briefed on our most highly classified information? Could it be that once Trump and his people learned the information we possessed, they assisted Russia in sniffing out moles or people assisting the USA and other foreign intelligence agencies?

 

[RipperGrim]

Well they did get caught, they were just lucky that there was enough American citizens who just seemingly didn't give a shit because it fitted their short term agendas.

 

[poppedcollar69]

It's the title of the Buzzfeed article.

yes i know

we're better than this

 

[Theonik]

I don't think Trump would be made aware of individual CIA assets.

Edit:

Especially in December.

There is no way to know the contents of Trump's security briefings both as a candidate and later as president elect. He would have a lot of access into this kind of information as part of the intelligence reports he received. They might not name individual sources but if this information was compromised it might have prompted or even helped Russian investigations into potential leaks though it is significantly more likely that the release of the dossier was what prompted Russia to investigate and arrest possible leaks.

 

[Poor GRIMES]

Smoke meets fire

The next few months will be interesting to say the least

 

[Monkey_Plunkett]

When exactly did Trump's people start getting briefed on our most highly classified information? Could it be that once Trump and his people learned the information we possessed, they assisted Russia in sniffing out moles or people assisting the USA and other foreign intelligence agencies?

*m night Shayamalan twist*

The intelligence agencies already know of his links to Russia but need concrete proof of intent to cause treason so gave Trump fake briefings and named known Russian cybersecurity people to see if it found its way back to Russia. Bam. caught small red handed

 

[Fei]

In the era of fake news, identifying the source in the OP at the top would be appreciated.

 

[marrec]

There is no way to know the contents of Trump's security briefings both as a candidate and later as president elect. He would have a lot of access into this kind of information as part of the intelligence reports he received. They might not name individual sources but if this information was compromised it might have prompted or even helped Russian investigations into potential leaks though it is significantly more likely that the release of the dossier was what prompted Russia to investigate and arrest possible leaks.

This is far more conspiratorial than I'd like to imagine. Giving the POTUS access to individual names of CIA assets seems highly unlikely. It's useless information for the President.

The "if this information were compromised" aspect is more likely, but doesn't involve the Pres because by December everyone knew this information was compromised. We only had to wait for it to be leaked by Buzzfeed and to a lesser extent CNN because news outlets couldn't verify the info.

I guess we're beating around the bush here, but I'll be straight about it, the idea that Trump somehow clued Putin in on specific assets is ludicrous. The idea that Trump clue Putin in on specific breaches of information is less so, but still extremely unlikely. Let's not devolve into conspiracy mongering wastoids.

The most likely scenario is on the face of it, they're "traitors" to the Russian government. Either they fucked up and couldn't cover their tracks, or they're leaking internal information. The Russian government doesn't need a buffoon like Trump to let them know when information is leaking.

 

[Theonik]

This is far more conspiratorial than I'd like to imagine. Giving the POTUS access to individual names of CIA assets seems highly unlikely. It's useless information for the President.

The "if this information were compromised" aspect is more likely, but doesn't involve the Pres because by December everyone knew this information was compromised. We only had to wait for it to be leaked by Buzzfeed and to a lesser extent CNN because news outlets couldn't verify the info.

I guess we're beating around the bush here, but I'll be straight about it, the idea that Trump somehow clued Putin in on specific assets is ludicrous. The idea that Trump clue Putin in on specific breaches of information is less so, but still extremely unlikely. Let's not devolve into conspiracy mongering wastoids.

The most likely scenario is on the face of it, they're "traitors" to the Russian government. Either they fucked up and couldn't cover their tracks, or they're leaking internal information. The Russian government doesn't need a buffoon like Trump to let them know when information is leaking.

Oh, I'm not disputing this. This is what I'm saying. I can see all 3 cases being possible to varying extents but the possibility is really slim and is much more likely that Russia reacted to the leaks by trying to track them down and either these people didn't cover their tracks well enough or they were arrested on existing suspicion/were being watched.

Much more interesting is possible implications as to the legitimacy of the information if we assume this is related to the 'leaked' dossier. There would be no need for Russia to arrest possible moles if they knew the information to be false.

 

[Funkyhamster]

More from Tzargrad:

Is that website overhyping Cambridge Analytica? Its connection to the Trump campaign was known, and I haven't seen any evidence that its analytics are substantially more advanced than what Hillary's campaign was doing.

 

[LucidMomentum]

In the era of fake news, identifying the source in the OP at the top would be appreciated.

Buzzfeed has a rather accurate and fact checked news section.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Wheres theres smoke...

 

[NeOak]

I'll play devil's advocate and say that they are being arrested to gag them from possibly revealing anything from the actual hacks.

 

[Fei]

Buzzfeed has a rather accurate and fact checked news section.

I don't disagree at all. It's just that on mobile, I have no idea what I'm clicking on when I see "link."

 

[marrec]

I'll play devil's advocate and say that they are being arrested to gag them from possibly revealing anything from the actual hacks.

I mean, it's entirely possible they're being arrested for something completely unrelated.

 

[Armoured Priest]

Rebekah's husband is Sylvain Mirochnikoff, a managing director and "exotic equity derivatives trader" of Morgan Stanley. Rebekah was also an actress starring in Xena: Warrior Princess.

I know this is an unimportant nit-pic, but The Rebekah Mercer in Xena was actually a different person with the same name.

 

[Htown]

For a bit of context, bit of a slow burn puzzle at the beginning, but one hell of a reveal.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/...ussia-raises-questions-of-motive-863845443847
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/...-tacit-corroboration-of-us-intel-863859267681

Maddow is always good at presenting this kind of thing.

I should maybe watch her show at some point.

 

[UberTag]

”There are a small handful of people who would know if one or both of these men was a US asset or in any way involved in any intelligence operation, and I'm not one of them," said the US intelligence officer, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the story.

would Trump know?

I'm not even sure Trump knows. And, if he did, I imagine he's too preoccupied with the size of his crowds and what people say about him to remember.

Now Steve Bannon, Richard Comey, Rex Tillerson, Mike Pompeo, Mike Flynn, the Mercer family and some other members of Trump's team...? Those are the people who might know.

 

[ImpracticalPassword]

This is far more conspiratorial than I'd like to imagine. Giving the POTUS access to individual names of CIA assets seems highly unlikely. It's useless information for the President.

For the moment, I think the idea that Trump would give the Russian govt the names of CIA informants is a little out there and that the more natural conclusion is that they knew they were looking for moles based on the Steele dossier and possibly other reports.

However, if POTUS wants to know who an asset is, I believe the CIA is supposed to provide it. (Or, at least, has traditionally provided it.)

Here's a recent NPR clip where one of their natsec reporters talks about a conversation she's had with a former CIA officer: http://www.npr.org/2017/01/23/511165541/president-trump-pays-a-fence-mending-visit-to-the-cia

So here - here is the question that another CIA veteran put to me after watching Trump's speech this weekend. This is Steve Hall. He was CIA chief of Russia operations. And he asked, what happens when the CIA collects a stellar piece of intelligence that maybe puts Vladimir Putin in a bad light? Steve Hall said, what happens when the CIA briefs Trump, and he wants to know the source? And Hall's quote directly to me was, how can you say, no, we don't trust you with the sourcing of that information? That is a live question today at Langley.

 

[maquiladora]

Trump admin gave the Russians the source of the CIA's HUMINT regarding the cyberattacks. It's pretty obvious.

 

[BlastProcessing]

would Trump know?

Yes, Trump could have know this on the correct timetable. We know that Trump was getting security briefings after the election, we know that Flynn was making phone calls to the Russian Ambassador in December and we know that Russian intelligence agents started being arrested in December.

Nothing concrete, but you can draw a very, very ugly line.

 

[Nikodemos]

Yeah, this whole thing absolutely reeks of targeted compromission.

 

[BlueTsunami]

For a bit of context, bit of a slow burn puzzle at the beginning, but one hell of a reveal.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/...ussia-raises-questions-of-motive-863845443847
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/...-tacit-corroboration-of-us-intel-863859267681

Maddow is the hero we need

 

[Netherscourge]

They did their job.

Time to "delete" them so they can't blow their whistles.

 

[ZOONAMI]

From The Guardian:

An alleged computer hacker being held in the Czech Republic is at the centre of an international legal tussle between the United States and Russia amid lingering disquiet over Moscow’s alleged interference in the recent US presidential election.

Yevgeniy Nikulin, 29, faces extradition requests from both countries after being detained by Czech police on an Interpol arrest warrant issued by US authorities.If US can get this guy extradited, the cards might all drop.

https://www.theguardian.com/technol...sia-hacking-yevgeniy-nikulin-linkedin-dropbox

Lock if old.

Edit, meant to post as new thread. I did post as new thread.

And is unrelated to election hacking. More context in thread though.

 

[BlastProcessing]

They did their job.

Time to "delete" them so they can't blow their whistles.

Other way around I think.

The FSB also fired their deputy director of Counterintelligence.

In another indication of high-level turmoil over cyberintelligence issues within the security agency, Kommersant reported on Jan. 13 that the director of the Center for Information Security, Andrei Gerasimov, would be fired. His termination was related to the investigation into the agency’s cooperation with Kaspersky on criminal hacking cases.

Mr. Gerasimov, who has led the Center for Information Security since 2009, was described as building close ties with companies like the Kaspersky Lab as an element in Russia’s cybersecurity policy. He is also the deputy director for counterintelligence at the F.S.B.

Counterintelligence is about ferreting out spies in your organization. His sudden firing suggests that he failed at that job.

 

[phxxBullet]

It's the title of the Buzzfeed article. It's also essentially the same perplexed sentiment expressed by Rachel Maddow last night.

More from Tzargrad:



Wait, how was I not aware of Cambridge Analytica before today?!




Steve Bannon’s data firm in talks for lucrative White House contracts - The Independent




The Secret Agenda of a Facebook Quiz - The New York Times




EDIT: Jesus. It just keeps going. Meet Robert Mercer, the Mysterious Billionaire Benefactor of Breitbart - Newsweek




And going. 4 hours ago, from The Atlantic - What Does the Billionaire Family Backing Donald Trump Really Want?




Rebekah's husband is Sylvain Mirochnikoff, a managing director and "exotic equity derivatives trader" of Morgan Stanley. Rebekah was also an actress starring in Xena: Warrior Princess.

The rise of GOP mega-donor Rebekah Mercer - The Washington Post




How Secretive Manhattan Heiress Rebekah Mercer Became One of the Most Powerful Women in Politics - Town & Country

Just.. wow.. ugh.

The past week has been like a big hollywood movie to me.

I feel sick to the bones, not even living in the US, but the EU.

 

[Stinkles]

From The Guardian:

An alleged computer hacker being held in the Czech Republic is at the centre of an international legal tussle between the United States and Russia amid lingering disquiet over Moscow’s alleged interference in the recent US presidential election.

Yevgeniy Nikulin, 29, faces extradition requests from both countries after being detained by Czech police on an Interpol arrest warrant issued by US authorities.If US can get this guy extradited, the cards might all drop.

https://www.theguardian.com/technol...sia-hacking-yevgeniy-nikulin-linkedin-dropbox

Lock if old.

Edit, meant to post as new thread. I did post as new thread.

And is unrelated to election hacking. More context in thread though.

If I was this hacker, I'd be hoping the US got me.

 

[Maintenance]

With Trump in charge, I wouldn't be so sure about going to the US either.

 

[Galactic Barret]

Classic tying up loose ends.

If any intelligence agency is still investigating Agent Orange, there's one less lead to go on.

 

[Zaph]

Here we go...

NYT article

Like a lot of experts have suggested from the beginning - this isn't about Trump being a Russian puppet (FSB no doubt know he's too stupid to control) - but instead a likely plan to utterly undermine US democracy.

They could drag the trials out for years, slowly leaking details, and keep the headlines dominated on whether or not Trump is an illegitimate president.

 

[Slime]

Is Trump using his new power to sell out US spies?

 

[Lowmelody]

Trump was requesting the names of individuals and what they were working on in other depts. Is it possible that he requested something similar to the FBI or CIA about their assets regarding Russia while claiming that he is trying to verify the chain the info pertaining to the hacking?

He doesn't need it delivered with his daily briefing if he seeks out the info he is privy to as CINC.