Russia is buying politicians in Europe. Is it happening here too?
A former CIA officer explains how a vast, pro-Putin corruption network uncovered in Europe is a warning sign for the U.S.
Democrats for years have warned about Russian influence in the Republican Party under Donald Trump. But now even some prominent GOP members of Congress are sounding the alarm.
“I think Russian propaganda has made its way into the United States, unfortunately, and it’s infected a good chunk of my party’s base,” Representative Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Puck’s Julia Ioffe last week. Representative Mike Turner, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, went further, telling CNN’s Jake Tapper a few days later, “We see directly coming from Russia attempts to mask communications that are anti-Ukraine and pro-Russia messages, some of which we even hear being uttered on the House floor.”
Which Republicans might they be referring to? Representative Ken Buck didn’t hesitate to point a finger at Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, saying on Monday, “Moscow Marjorie is focused now on this Ukraine issue and getting her talking points from the Kremlin and making sure that she is popular and she is getting a lot of coverage.”
It IS HAPPENING! Been obvious to anyone who pays the slightest attention. Ever since that orange shit stain announced he was running a decade ago, it has been PAINFULLY obvious.
Unfortunately, there are people who pay excessive and exclusive attention to right-wing media, and repeat the Hitler call of “fake news” (Lügenpresse) at all remaining media.
McCarthy: There are two people I think Putin pays: Rorabacher and Trump!
Ryan: Shhhhh! We're all family here, right guys? Ha ha. ha ha ha. Ha.
-TWENTY FUCKING SIXTEEN
Yeah "is it happening here" WTF
Anyone remember this from almost a decade ago?:
This is not at all a new thing.
And that was before others did random trips to Russia
On the 4th of July, no less. If it was a book people would hammer that shit for being too unbelievable.
Trite as fuck but depressingly real.
Specifically: From an article on July 5, 2018, "On Tuesday afternoon, the bipartisan leadership of the Senate Intelligence Committee issued some important findings, concluding that the U.S. intelligence community was correct in its assessment: Russia attacked the U.S. elections in 2016 and did so in the hopes of putting Donald Trump in the White House." And, "In addition to Shelby, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee and has limited foreign policy responsibilities, the official congressional delegation featured Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), and Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas)."
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/seven-gop-lawmakers-make-misguided-trip-russia-msna1119676
You know who hasn’t been sounding the alarm?
That’s right, media. You.
I don't know if that is the case
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/29/trump-russia-asset-claims-former-kgb-spy-new-book
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/03/connections-trump-putin-russia-ties-chart-flynn-page-manafort-sessions-214868/
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/03/trump-russian-asset-election-intelligence-community-report.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20240113220318/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/13/us/politics/russia-election-interference.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/25/us/politics/russia-intelligence-propaganda.html
https://www.npr.org/2020/08/18/903616315/senate-releases-final-report-on-russias-interference-in-2016-election
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/09/zelenskyy-invites-trump-ukraine-russia-00151310
https://www.utsa.edu/today/2021/08/story/russian-influence-american-media.html
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-intelligence-report-alleging-russia-election-interference-shared-with-100-2023-10-20/
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/russias-prigozhin-admits-interfering-us-elections-2022-11-07/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/25/politics/us-intel-russia-propaganda/index.html
Huh, no Fox, Newsmax, OAN or PostMedia on that list.
I wonder why?
I can answer one of those.
You missed a pretty important one.
https://www.newsweek.com/who-konstantin-nikolaev-money-mike-johnson-1870600
I did, thank you for the link
It would be weird if Republicans did the shit they did and WEREN'T being paid by Russia...
Remember Devin Nunes?
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/intel-revelations-raise-difficult-questions-several-republicans-n1261400
Oh, the douchebag traitor who got fake dirt on Biden from a russian agent, and now the CEO of the trump media and technology group? Yeah, I remember that filthy traitor.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devin_Nunes
Its agonizing how obvious it is and we just have to sit here like they're honest Americans. Sick of this backwards ass world.
Never heard abut this. Very interesting.
Really? Did they ask this question with a straight face?
It's actually really shocking for me as a non-American who grew up during the cold war and remembers the shadow of nuclear annihilation hanging over my head, then watching the fall of the Berlin wall then the comparative peace of the latter part of the 90's where the future looked so bright that there is a real chance of senior American politicians being under the thumb of Russia.
It still kinda blows my mind that it might be true.
Might want to remove that, might be true. It is happening and has been happening. The entire GOP is a Russian asset.
The GOP is certainly a conduit.
Yeah but do you remember all those russia loving communities during the cold war? In sweden I bet the green party was paid off (to stop nUcLeAr eNeRgY => dependence on russian gas & oil), now it's the racist party ofc.
We should really beef up monitoring how this "lobbying" is happening and crack down on it like a ton of bricks.
Gee, that’s a tough one.
Very nearly the entire republican party consists of worthless traitor filth who are wholly owned by one of our two greatest geopolitical adversaries, hell-bent on reversing the outcome of the Cold War. The fuck do you think?
And the Civil War for that matter.
It's been open and blatantly happening for decades. They used to hand out fucking envelopes of cash from the Russian controlled NRA on the fucking floor.
Money is speech now, why shouldn't we be surprised when politicians listen to the
highest bidderloudest voices?Sup regulatory capture and monopolies leading to preventable crises
It’s a little late for this realization. They already own most of the Republican Party and the rest is owned by the oligarchs.
I've been saying this for a while, and hoping the CIA / FBI are on top of this.
Why wouldn't they, we're for sale
Can't buy what you have already bought
Already has. You have only to watch and read the jaded media to see it
It has been happening here since 2012. 2016 election was the result of that program and not the beginning.
“Bought” would be correct for us. Already happened.
I don't know, but this article from 6 years ago says "no fucking shit Sherlock, fucking duh"
Most of the GOP
You mean aside from the ex-president?
Isn’t it ok for there to be foreign influence in Congress? I mean, no one seems to bat an eye that Israel openly supports so many politicians, why should it be bad for Russia to support politicians as well? /s
Generally it is bad if it is an adversary. However modern Russia is unfortunately a matched pair for the Republican party, christian ethno-nationalists with dictator leadership.
Like the Speaker of the House?
They already bought the GOP. If they are still shopping for politicians, maybe Moscow can create stable politics in the US...
In name of stability and rising from the kneesNo, it's buying presidents
Don't cut them short, they've openly owned segments of the republican party for over 6 years.
No, of course no, yours are leased and subleased --sarcasm
And the picture is of Marge the uber-Karen.
Фейковые новости. Вмешательство в выборы. Получите факты на «Правде социальной»
Truth social sounds so silly translated to Russian. I wonder if it's as silly in English to native English speakers.
Yes
I dunno, is it?
No one goes into politics to help others. They go into politics to help themselves.
She looks like a cave woman.
What if I told you they picked that picture on purpose? And Cave Women, like all Cave Humans, had to be smart and resourceful to survive. So no disrespect on early humans. And what appears to be the case is that she is in fact a traitor to her own country, which ought to carry some significant penalties.
We’ve all seen the Geico commercials. We know cavemen are smart.
It's not that Russia is buying American politicians
Or Americans are buying Russian politicians
It's money ..... the corruption is that the system can be bought, sold, influenced, manipulated, controlled and built on money. And those with the most money and power don't care about nationalities, states or governments .... all they care about is that we all keep fighting because it makes them money.
This is the theory I believe will prevent global nuclear war.
Those with all the power know that once anyone starts nuclear war, everything will be lost. Humanity might survive but all those billionaires will lose all their imaginary money and with it all that power that came with it. Global finance will end and that will mean that only those with the most guns and armies of men will become the new kings and queens.
It's a weird thought experiment. Greed got us to this point and I believe it's greed that will prevent us from going over the edge. Because they all know that if you blow up the world, they blow up all their power and status with it. And to the rich and powerful, that is more important to them than the lives of millions of people.
Nice theory (genuinely), but it falls apart because billionaires are building their own doomsday bunkers.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/feb/25/billionaire-doomsday-bunkers-end-times
I've read lots about that too but no matter what happens they still lose the majority of their power and wealth.
If the apocalypse happens, they'll live in their bunker. Now instead of being a billionaire that has privilege and power over the world .... they'll end up being just survivors with a mountain of food. They could hire a small group of mercenaries to defend them, but that sets up the scenario where the mercenaries can just murder their masters and take over the bunker. And even if you had a bunch of guns and military hardware, eventually someone or a group of people will come along to take what you have. Or you end up just fighting every day to fend off attackers until your bullets run out.
These also aren't secret bunkers either .... they're known by enough people that they'll be easy targets for survivors after the world falls apart.
No matter how you cut it, a post apocalyptic world will not be a fun place for anyone including millionaires and billionaires in their bunkers.
Last time I checked Putin is not Russia.
But also I admit we all need Navalny-level of investigations. And governmnets need to react to them. At lest EU can start with corruptioners from existing Navalny's investigations.
No offence but have you ever lived in a " Communist , or Socialist " country? Because yes. He IS Russia.
I wasn't born early enough to live in auch country, but he isn't. You fell into "No Putin - No Russia" propaganda. Also Russia now not even socialist country.