The intelligence community has largely blamed Russia for the massive hacking incidents that undermined Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Finally, someone has stepped up to say what we’ve been saying all along: it wasn’t just Russia.
“I think the possibility that there’s more than one country involved is really there,” said former CIA director James Woolsey.
Officials have reportedly discovered Russia’s “digital fingerprints” on the election hacks, but that doesn’t mean they are the only ones to blame.
“I don’t think people ought to say they know for sure there’s only one… It’s more complicated that than,” said Woolsey. “This is not an organized operation that is hacking into a target. It’s more like a bunch of jackals at the carcass of an antelope.”
Woolsey uses a good metaphor here, and as we have pointed out as far back as April 2016, there were likely several individuals, organizations, and countries reading Hillary Clinton’s emails in real time.
“Is it Russian? Probably some,” admits Woolsey. “Is it Chinese and Iranian? Maybe. We may find out more from Mr. Trump coming up today.”
President-elect Donald Trump hinted this weekend that he would soon reveal new information about the election hacking. “I know things that other people don’t know,” he said Sunday at his resort in Palm Beach, FL. “I just want them to be sure because it’s a pretty serious charge. I think it’s unfair if they don’t know.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to think it laughable that Russia would want to influence the US election, and Trump has stated that he does not believe the Kremlin to be behind the attacks.
Meanwhile, the Obama Administration has retaliated by expelling over 30 Russian officials and issuing new sanctions against Russia as punishment for the hacks.
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James Woolsey will be joining the Trump Administration as senior adviser on national security, defense, and intelligence.
Editor’s note: We’ve been saying this all along and reporting the Russia angle as a smokescreen from the Hillary Clinton Campaign. See The Russia Smokescreen.
But is does make you wonder why so many people with the common sense to know this kept silent for so long.