Trump's criticism of Russia hacking claim could haunt him

[webfact]

Trump's criticism of Russia hacking claim could haunt him

By ERIC TUCKER

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump held firm Monday to his skepticism of the huge intelligence apparatus he's about to inherit, doubting anew the CIA conclusion that Russia tried to hack its way into tipping the U.S. election his way.

 

Trump emphasized that he does not accept the conclusion that the Kremlin tried to disrupt the election in his favor, an idea he dismissed as "ridiculous" over the weekend. He also demanded to know why the subject hadn't been raised before Election Day — which it was, repeatedly.

 

The focus of reporting by leading news organizations, the issue has been in the headlines since at least June — after hackers broke into computers at the Democratic National Committee, after WikiLeaks began publishing Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman's hacked emails in October and after the Obama administration publicly blamed Russia's government, also in October.

 

"Unless you catch 'hackers' in the act, it is very hard to determine who was doing the hacking," Trump tweeted Monday. "Why wasn't this brought up before election?"

 

Trump himself had raised questions during a presidential debate in September about whose hackers were responsible, after Clinton blamed Russia. "She keeps saying 'Russia, Russia, Russia,' and maybe it was. It could be Russia, but it could be China, could also be lots of other people," Trump said then. "It could be someone sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds."

 

Attempting to deflect blame from Russia, Trump has embraced one of the truisms about cybersecurity. After a hacking, it remains a lingering challenge to identify whose hands were on the keyboard: foreign spies, cybercriminals, disgruntled insiders or bored teenagers. Skilled hackers can cover their tracks, use software tools traceable to others and feign their locations across borders or continents.

 

In the hacks against the Democrats, two U.S. cybersecurity firms found detailed evidence that the intrusions were linked to Russian hackers. The internet domains and registrants traced back to a hacking group, "Fancy Bear," linked to Russia's intelligence services. It's unclear whether there is other, classified evidence uncovered by the administration. The Defense Department is widely known to monitor international internet traffic that might be used in such attacks.

 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Monday that he had "the highest confidence in the intelligence community and especially the Central Intelligence Agency," signaling that he disagreed with Trump. "Obviously, any foreign breach of our cybersecurity measures is disturbing. And I strongly condemn any such efforts."

 

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday it was the "consensus view" of the intelligence community that the Russians sought to meddle in the election.

 

"You didn't need a security clearance to figure out who benefited from malicious Russian cyber activity," Earnest said

Trump's skepticism might be boxing him in as president. Openly questioning the U.S. intelligence assessment about what could be a historically important hacking will make it harder for him to persuade the public the next time the government looks to place blame for a cyberattack. Such official accusations effectively require the public to trust the government's findings since the blamed nation invariably denies involvement and intelligence officials are loath to reveal much about how they reached their conclusion.

 

Such a high-level accusation "only works if the president has credibility," said Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. "That only works if the country is going to believe and our friends and allies are going to believe and indeed our adversaries are going to believe that the president means what he says."

 

It's not yet clear how aggressive a President Trump will be in pointing fingers at foreign governments for hacking. Trump, who is rarely seen using a computer and has said he never personally uses email, has proposed a buildup of U.S. military offensive and defensive cyber capabilities that he said will deter foreign hackers.

 

Over time, the Obama administration embraced a "name and shame" strategy to respond to serious hacking. It openly blamed North Korea for the 2014 hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment. It also brought indictments against Chinese military officials for stealing business secrets from American corporations and against Iranian hackers for digital breaches at banks and a New York dam.

 

Blame is meant to put foreign governments on notice that their hackers are being watched and deter them from future attacks. When the government chooses to go public, credibility is its most important asset, said John Bambenek, manager of threat systems at Fidelis Cybersecurity.

 

It's not uncommon for skeptics, particularly within the hacking community, to second-guess the government's conclusion. Even after the FBI fingered North Korea as the culprit for the Sony hack, some computer scientists challenged the assessment. The FBI subsequently disclosed even more information to be more convincing.

 

Ideally, a president concludes that the need to protect sensitive sources and methods outweighs the need to silence skeptics, said James Lewis, a senior vice president and program director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

 

"Do I need to persuade them?" he said of skeptics. "No, I need to persuade the key allies, congressional leaders, and the American public needs to at least be comfortable with what I'm doing."

 

The U.S. has not imposed sanctions on the Russians for the election-related hacks and, in other instances, has opted against public accusations, including following a disastrous Office of Personnel Management hack widely suspected to be the work of the Chinese.

 

-- © Associated Press 2016-12-13

[craigt3365]

Quote

"Unless you catch 'hackers' in the act, it is very hard to determine who was doing the hacking," Trump tweeted Monday. "Why wasn't this brought up before election?"

 

He obviously doesn't under IT! LOL  This is splitting the Republican party even more. 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/12/08/republicans-ready-to-launch-wide-ranging-probe-of-russia-despite-trumps-stance/?utm_term=.d8bede4eb7d1

Republicans ready to launch wide-ranging probe of Russia, despite Trump’s stance

Quote

 

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (Ariz.) is readying a probe of possible Russian cyber-incursions into U.S. weapons systems, and he said he has been discussing the issue with Senate Select Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (N.C.), with whom he will be “working closely” to investigate Russia’s suspected interference in the U.S. elections and cyberthreats to the military and other institutions. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been apprised of the discussions. Burr did not respond to requests for comment.

 

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) also said he intends to hold hearings next year into alleged Russian hacking. Corker is on Trump’s shortlist for secretary of state, according to the Trump transition team.

 

 

[Silurian]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Ideally, a president concludes that the need to protect sensitive sources and methods outweighs the need to silence skeptics, said James Lewis, a senior vice president and program director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

 

"Do I need to persuade them?" he said of skeptics. "No, I need to persuade the key allies, congressional leaders, and the American public needs to at least be comfortable with what I'm doing."

 

And there in-lies the crux of the matter. No need to address the harshest critics as they won't care how much evidence is brought up. Key personnel need to understand that the how information is obtain is sometimes better hidden as if known will disrupt the security agencies sources and methods. For sure certain information needs to be backed up by several agencies/methods but all of it should be taken seriously and not dismissed lightly.

[kamahele]

The scary thing is that his supporters don't care.....

[craigt3365]

13 minutes ago, kamahele said:

The scary thing is that his supporters don't care.....

Not just don't care, they're happy it happened! LOL

[retarius]

This appears to be a fairly transparent attempt to delegitimize Trump before he takes office, and the FBI who are actually responsible for this affair have not supported the CIA's claim, and let's face it the CIA don't have the greatest track record of correct calls...Democratic electors are already asking for a full report to be issued before they elect Trump (which would delay the vote schedules for the 19th). I don't think he will suffer from saying what he has said. If he is able to secure his position I'm sure he'll oust those responsible for the report. His first 100 days are vitally important if he is ever to govern effectively. The American public seem not to like this sort of smear or obstructionist tactic, and it will backfire on Democrats who endorse it, as it did on Newt Gingrich when he shut down government, However, Trump is a narcissistic head case, and I doubt he can resist the opportunity to enrich himself and his family during his stay at the White House, so if you have some spare money find a bookie who will give you odds on him being impeached.

 

[craigt3365]

1 minute ago, retarius said:

This appears to be a fairly transparent attempt to delegitimize Trump before he takes office, and the FBI who are actually responsible for this affair have not supported the CIA's claim, and let's face it the CIA don't have the greatest track record of correct calls...Democratic electors are already asking for a full report to be issued before they elect Trump (which would delay the vote schedules for the 19th). I don't think he will suffer from saying what he has said. If he is able to secure his position I'm sure he'll oust those responsible for the report. His first 100 days are vitally important if he is ever to govern effectively. The American public seem not to like this sort of smear or obstructionist tactic, and it will backfire on Democrats who endorse it, as it did on Newt Gingrich when he shut down government, However, Trump is a narcissistic head case, and I doubt he can resist the opportunity to enrich himself and his family during his stay at the White House, so if you have some spare money find a bookie who will give you odds on him being impeached.

 

The FBI have not denied it.  Just saying they need concrete proof before they can take this to court.  The CIA isn't worried as much about going to a court of law.  State facts properly.  17 intelligence agencies are saying this happened.  Including several outside private security firms.

 

This isn't about de-legitimizing Trump, it's about securing US infrastructure by hacks from hostile countries.  Sadly, Trump is making this worse with his denials.  Which is what this OP is about.

[zaphod reborn]

Apparently, the Russians hacked email accounts of both parties, Democrats and Republicans.  Obama was advised that he shouldn't raise it as an issue, pre-election, because it might be considered partisan manipulation of intelligence data. Wikileaks only released the hacked emails from the Democrats.  Mitch McConnell will be investigated for covering up the intelligence. A more interesting investigation would be whether Russian bankers, to whom Trump is heavily indebted, paid Wikileaks to release the hacked Democratic emails.

[craigt3365]

2 minutes ago, zaphod reborn said:

Apparently, the Russians hacked email accounts of both parties, Democrats and Republicans.  Obama was advised that he shouldn't raise it as an issue, pre-election, because it might be considered partisan manipulation of intelligence data. Wikileaks only released the hacked emails from the Democrats.  Mitch McConnell will be investigated for covering up the intelligence. A more interesting investigation would be whether Russian bankers, to whom Trump is heavily indebted, paid Wikileaks to release the hacked Democratic emails.

Some here are saying the Republican system was not hacked.  Do you have a link that shows it was?  That's what I thought also, but my news articles only talk about the DNC hacks.  Done for reasons you pointed out.

 

This story is far from over!

[zaphod reborn]

2 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

Some here are saying the Republican system was not hacked.  Do you have a link that shows it was?  That's what I thought also, but my news articles only talk about the DNC hacks.  Done for reasons you pointed out.

 

This story is far from over!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-illinois-republican-party-email-hack-met-1212-20161211-story.html

[craigt3365]

4 minutes ago, zaphod reborn said:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-illinois-republican-party-email-hack-met-1212-20161211-story.html

Wow.  This is getting worse and worse. Hopefully, the authorities will do something.  Not sure what can be done, but it's not good.

 

Thanks!!!!!!!

[Rob13]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

He also demanded to know why the subject hadn't been raised before Election Day

 

He really is mental, isn't he.

[chilli42]

27 minutes ago, Rob13 said:

 

He really is mental, isn't he.

 

Particularly becaise it was raised repeatedly before Election Day.  

 

He he feels threatened by this so he lies, deflects and protects the Russians.  Classic Donald Trump, it's all about him ... he has the maturity of a 10 year old. Why he feels threatened is beyond me, nobody is going to call a reelection.  The right response to this whole affair if for the president elect to stand up and be counted by vowing to get to the bottom of this and put everyone on notice that reprisals will be swift and punishing for those found involved.  

[Rob13]

35 minutes ago, chilli42 said:

Particularly becaise it was raised repeatedly before Election Day.  

 

 

Repeated ad nauseam. I guess he either forgot or he thinks the US public did either way it's a pretty stupid statement. If he were smart he'd use that the CIA was aware of the problem before the elections as his argument, and tell the Dems and congress if they really thought it were true they should have done something about it before the election; like  how it should have been handled anyway.

 

 

 

 

[elgordo38]

4 hours ago, kamahele said:

The scary thing is that his supporters don't care.....

They sure don't he has already debunked the campaign promise of a special prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton. He chalks it up to campaign hype. Where does hype end and the truth begin?? Never

[Srikcir]

3 hours ago, retarius said:

the FBI who are actually responsible for this affair have not supported the CIA's claim

Untrue.

FBI agrees that Russia authorized surrogates to hack the DNC, Hillary campaign staff and democrat leadership.

 

What ithe FBI disagrees with the CIA was that 1) the CIA claims that the RNC was hacked directly by the Russians; contending that it was 3rd parties holding RNC data that were hacked and 2) the Russian;s motivation for the hacking. The CIA said it was intended to get Trump elected while the FBI said it was intended to disrupt the election process to discredit it as a democratic process.

 

The differences between the two agencies is minor.

[dunroaming]

It is like a badly written soap opera.  Trump stumbles along  making stupid statements and there is nobody to shout "CUT".

[scorecard]

4 hours ago, chilli42 said:

 

Particularly becaise it was raised repeatedly before Election Day.  

 

He he feels threatened by this so he lies, deflects and protects the Russians.  Classic Donald Trump, it's all about him ... he has the maturity of a 10 year old. Why he feels threatened is beyond me, nobody is going to call a reelection.  The right response to this whole affair if for the president elect to stand up and be counted by vowing to get to the bottom of this and put everyone on notice that reprisals will be swift and punishing for those found involved.  

 

Seems that on many occasions during the campaign he without thought and with no hesitation totally and instantly brushed aside many things that were not aligned his already locked-in view / opinion of the subject at hand.

 

He just instantly brushed aside and ignored with no analysis or thought several warnings and serious / critical comments from key security agencies.

 

And this is the man holding the keys to the nucs.

[derator01]

Several posts with links to less than credible websites have been removed from view. 

[Jingthing]

 

"But after conversations with a half-dozen knowledgeable sources, here are two simple judgments: Russia’s secret hacking against Democratic Party officials threatened the integrity of the U.S. political system. And President-elect Donald Trump shouldn’t have criticized the CIA after its analysts told Congress about the Kremlin’s efforts. Trump, unbelievably, seemed to be taking a potential adversary’s side against his own nation’s intelligence professionals."

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-is-playing-a-risky-spy-game/2016/12/13/1c262bbc-c17c-11e6-9578-0054287507db_story.html?hpid=hp_no-name_opinion-card-f%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.9ed80574a7d8

 

__________________________

WEIRD GLITCH -- PLEASE DELETE DUPES!

 

Edited December 14, 2016 by Jingthing

[jcsmith]

On 12/13/2016 at 1:22 PM, Rob13 said:

 

Repeated ad nauseam. I guess he either forgot or he thinks the US public did either way it's a pretty stupid statement.

He repeatedly was asked during his campaign about his support for the Iraq war (which is on tape) and every time he denied it ever happened, despite knowing that the media had the tapes. I think he really does think the American public is that stupid, and fortunately for him it appears it is.

[Andaman Al]

Shep Smith and Fox News say Donald Trump is Lying !!!

 

 

[optad]

This is what intelligence organisations do, full stop. National interest gamesmanship. 

[Jingthing]

trump being trump.

Republicans in congress playing along.

 

Quote

 

Trump is threatening to wreck our democracy. Blame the Republicans who are looking the other way.

 

The events we’ve seen in the run-up to the inauguration of Donald Trump have only confirmed that he represents a threat to our democracy and governing norms in multiple unprecedented ways. But this isn’t just a story about Donald Trump. It’s also a story about congressional Republicans.

 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/12/14/trump-is-threatening-to-wreck-our-democracy-blame-the-republicans-who-are-looking-the-other-way/?hpid=hp_no-name_opinion-card-b%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.0ca2ac7b1132

 

[elgordo38]

On 12/13/2016 at 2:13 PM, Srikcir said:

Untrue.

FBI agrees that Russia authorized surrogates to hack the DNC, Hillary campaign staff and democrat leadership.

 

What ithe FBI disagrees with the CIA was that 1) the CIA claims that the RNC was hacked directly by the Russians; contending that it was 3rd parties holding RNC data that were hacked and 2) the Russian;s motivation for the hacking. The CIA said it was intended to get Trump elected while the FBI said it was intended to disrupt the election process to discredit it as a democratic process.

 

The differences between the two agencies is minor.

Its just amazing that Russia can step in and manipulate the election and yet the major keepers of the country remain silent. Homeland Security, CIA, FBI, Congress, Senate, Obama nobody is talking of action. Its dead silence. Sleep well and safe.

[craigt3365]

7 minutes ago, elgordo38 said:

Its just amazing that Russia can step in and manipulate the election and yet the major keepers of the country remain silent. Homeland Security, CIA, FBI, Congress, Senate, Obama nobody is talking of action. Its dead silence. Sleep well and safe.

I don't think that is true.  There seems to be a lot of action underway.  I think you'll see things move forward rather rapidly.  Hopefully!!!

[elgordo38]

1 minute ago, craigt3365 said:

I don't think that is true.  There seems to be a lot of action underway.  I think you'll see things move forward rather rapidly.  Hopefully!!!

I hope your right. Will be interested in what happens short of war internet or otherwise. 

[geriatrickid]

This will dog Trump for his term.  The GOP has a majority in Congress and can control the agenda for the next 2 years. However, Trump has a lot of enemies in Congress and he has  insulted too many decent people. His vindictiveness towards  Romney and the Bush clan sticks in the craw of many people, particularly the power brokers of the GOP who loathe him.  When Trump  will most need help, they will turn their backs on him and let him swing at the end of the rope he made.  One cannot piss all over the Bush family and not expect to  get a comeuppance at some point. Romney still has influence with many  Republicans and Democrat power fixtures and despite the rough and tumble of politics, they don't like the way he has been treated. 

[elgordo38]

1 hour ago, geriatrickid said:

One cannot piss all over the Bush family and not expect to  get a comeuppance at some point.

Yes America's first family. Google their checkered past sometime going back generations. Its a lulu. Its amazing how something so black can be made white again. 

Edited December 15, 2016 by elgordo38

[Rob13]

1 hour ago, craigt3365 said:

I don't think that is true.  There seems to be a lot of action underway.  I think you'll see things move forward rather rapidly.  Hopefully!!!

 

A shame it's happening after the election. Where was the action when both sides were crying foul during the campaign.. At this point anything done now  comes off as sour grapes rather than doing what needs to be done.