FBI Chief Says Russia's 'Information Warfare' Against U.S. Has Not Eased

2/6/20
The chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says Russia is conducting an "information warfare" operation against the United States ahead of the 2020 presidential election, although he says he has not seen signs that Russian actors have attempted to breach election infrastructure. FBI Director Christopher Wray on February 5 told the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee that Moscow was using a covert social-media campaign to divide U.S. public opinion and exploit differences to create discord. The remarks are in line with conclusions by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia conducted similar operations during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, an assertion Moscow continues to deny despite overwhelming evidence that it did so. Wray said the current effort includes the use of fictional identities, computer bots, postings on social media, and disinformation. He said the effort may intensify during an election year, but the threat is there at all times, making it more difficult to combat than a specific hacking attack.

Wray said, Russian efforts to interfere in the election through disinformation and "fake news" had not eased since 2016. "They identify an issue that they know that the American people feel passionately about on both sides and then they take both sides and spin them up so they pit us against each other," Wray said. "And then they combine that with an effort to weaken our confidence in our elections and our democratic institutions which has been a pernicious and asymmetric way of engaging in affect information warfare." The director also raised concerns that other countries may have seen Russia's apparent successes in 2016 and are looking to carry out similar operations in the upcoming election. "We know other adversaries are looking very closely at what the Russians have done and taking note of it and giving active consideration to whether that’s a playbook they should adopt," he said.

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Rogue Valley said:

FBI Chief Says Russia's 'Information Warfare' Against U.S. Has Not Eased





Why on earth would the russians stop? They have heard Donald Trump publicly ask for more foreign interference in the 2020 election. They have heard US House Republicans repeating russian disinformation publicly in the halls of Congress and during interviews. They have seen the GOP Senate give Donald Trump a pass for shaking down Ukraine for election dirt on Joe Biden.

Romney’s vote and his words should shame McConnell and his colleagues, but you cannot shame the shameless.

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Bucky said:

And how is this a bad thing?

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Rogue Valley said:

FBI Chief Says Russia's 'Information Warfare' Against U.S. Has Not Eased





Why on earth would the russians stop? They have heard Donald Trump publicly ask for more foreign interference in the 2020 election. They have heard US House Republicans repeating russian disinformation publicly in the halls of Congress and during interviews. They have seen the GOP Senate give Donald Trump a pass for shaking down Ukraine for election dirt on Joe Biden.

Romney’s vote and his words should shame McConnell and his colleagues, but you cannot shame the shameless.

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Bucky said:

And how is this a bad thing?

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Ikari said:

I mean, it worked last time, so why not continue? We're still not taking the threat of Russian disinformation seriously, and until we do, I don't see any reason why Putin and Pals would stop.

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Simon W. Moon said:

Trumpco et al are actively pushing Russian disinformation.

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EnigmaO01 said:

You mean because Trump and the republicans will have the advantage with the Russian's help? Is that what you're saying?

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Rogue Valley said:

FBI Chief Says Russia's 'Information Warfare' Against U.S. Has Not Eased





Why on earth would the russians stop? They have heard Donald Trump publicly ask for more foreign interference in the 2020 election. They have heard US House Republicans repeating russian disinformation publicly in the halls of Congress and during interviews. They have seen the GOP Senate give Donald Trump a pass for shaking down Ukraine for election dirt on Joe Biden.

Romney’s vote and his words should shame McConnell and his colleagues, but you cannot shame the shameless.

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Ikari said:

Well it seems to aid them, and Trump aids the Russians in their attempt to disrupt and disturb America and American global power.

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Bucky said:

You know what they say: the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

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EnigmaO01 said:

I wonder if the Russians will go farther this time and actually be able to alter the voting machine counts? We know they gained access to voting machines in all 50 states in 2016, but apparently didn't actually alter any votes.

Russia Targeted Election Systems in All 50 States, Report Finds - The New York Times

More likely if there is any doubt or mistrust in the results, the Russians won't have to hack anything. The Russians will have met their goal of sowing discourse in our system of government. It could get ugly if the losers cry fowl.

Russia Targeted Election Systems in All 50 States, Report Finds - The New York Times

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Simon W. Moon said:

Good point.
It all depends on your perspective.
If you're in favor of weakening and diminishing the United States, it's an awesome thing.

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ecofarm said:

We've abandoned Syria and Ukraine. What more does Putin want?

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Simon W. Moon said:

Mueller's unsurprising conclusion was that Trump is an unwitting accomplice, someone who is useful without realizing they're being used.

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jamesbyoung said:

The cancer of authoritarianism is being xfrd from Russia to America.

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Bucky said:

You know what they say: the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

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chuckiechan said:

I would worry just as much about China, especially with it’s relationship with Google who has a world view, rather than a national view. I may sound like a Luddite, but it’s time to go back to pencil marked ballots and optical readers that are not remotely programmable.

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EnigmaO01 said:

So you condone the interference of a foreign power in our election as long as you get what you want?

You sure you're an American?

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Ikari said:

I mean, it worked last time, so why not continue? We're still not taking the threat of Russian disinformation seriously, and until we do, I don't see any reason why Putin and Pals would stop.

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