Fueling more paranoia about alleged Russian influence in the 2016 presidential election, the Justice Department filed a criminal complaint in U.S. District Court in D.C. against 44-year-old Russian national Elena Alekseevna Khrusyahnova for financing a propaganda campaign in St. Petersburg to influence the 2018 Midterm elections. Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted 12 Russians July 13, 2018 for hacking the Democratic National Committee and private email account of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s former Campaign Manager John Podesta. Justice Department accuses Khrusyahnova of being part of St. Petersburg-based Project Lakhta, the organized propaganda effort to influence the 2016 presidential election. Mueller has yet to issue his final report on the extent of alleged Trump campaign collusion with Project Lakhta designed to sabotage Hillary’s campaign
In the unsealed complaint filed yesterday in D.C. Circuit Court, U.S. intel agencies insisted that Russia, China, Iran and other countries are engaged in continuous attempts to influence U.S. public opinion and elections. Admitting that numerous foreign countries actively attempt to influence U.S. public opinion and voting preferences, it undermines Mueller’s premise that singled out Russia, but more importantly, President Donald Trump for colluding in the 2016 election to gain an unfair advantage against Hillary. Just as the Justice Department files new criminal charges against Khrusyahnova, U.S. intel agencies admit that the influence peddling business goes on with most countries, not just the Russian Federation. Saying there’s continuous efforts to influence U.S. public opinion says nothing because the U.S. also tries to influence public opinion and voting in foreign countries.
When you talk about influence peddling, one has to look no further than the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee, continuing to influence U.S. public opinion and voter preferences. Unlike some countries where’s there’s no freedom of speech, the state controls the message, feeding people exactly what the want to hear. Now the government’s indicting foreign actors for writing Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social media- posts as an illegal form of propaganda and and disinformation. Expressing concern about foreign campaigns “to undermine confidence in democratic institutions and influence public sentiment and governmental policies,” National Security officials have undermined the First Amendment as much as anything done by foreign governments. Why should foreign nationals have their free speech rights compromised in the U.S.?
Nothing upends democracy more that getting so paranoid about foreign public opinion to call it disinformation and propaganda. Whether the information disseminated is factual or not, or designed to influence U.S. public opinion, the U.S. government should have more faith in the American public to wade through nonsense when they see it. Indicting 12 Russians and now Khusyaynova for an illegal attempt to influence public opinion runs counter to basic U.S. values about free speech. Screaming fire in a crowed theatre—when there isn’t any—is restricted against prevailing free speech laws. Yet when foreign actors decide to hazard opinions on U.S. social media that’s considered a crime. Influencing public opinion is different than hacking electronic voting machines, something that hasn’t happened yet. How exercising free speech is a form criminal activity is anyone’s guess.
Criminal laws ban foreign governments or private individuals from trying to influence U.S. elections or engaging in political activities without registering with the attorney general. Whether or not foreign governments open up social media accounts or post fake news or anything else, that’s a far cry from “trying to influence U.S elections.” Calling foreigners part of “troll farms” because they use Twitter or Facebook trying in influence U.S. elections doesn’t mean that they actually influence U.S. public opinion. No government report proves that any foreign social media-post influenced one vote in the 2016 presidential election or upcoming Midterms. It’s easy to accuse foreigners of trying to influence U.S. elections but without proof, where’s the facts? Democrats who want Trump impeached for collusion, like Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), also 100% backed Christine Blasey-Ford’s charges against Judge Kavanaugh.
If there’s anything certain about influence, propaganda or disinformation in the U.S., it’s that the media controls the message, whether it’s factual or not. How is it possible that 100% of Democrats backed Blasey-Ford’s sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, while Republicans demanded proof? Whether there’s proof from Mueller and now the Justice Department that so-called Russian, Chinese, Iranian or other “troll farms” have any influence on U.S. elections or anything else? “Russian disinformation efforts are ongoing and sophisticated, and they are intent on dividing us and weakening our society and political system,” said Schiff, mirroring the unfounded allegations of foreign influence peddled by Mueller and now the Justice Department. Calling Twitter or Facebook-posts “propaganda and disinformation” goes over the top.
