Another development in the Russiagate saga has surfaced, but perhaps not the one you expected. Politico reported that the Obama administration knew about the Kremlin’s intentions to interfere in the United States’ political system – and did nothing to prevent it:
The Obama administration received multiple warnings from national security officials between 2014 and 2016 that the Kremlin was ramping up its intelligence operations and building disinformation networks it could use to disrupt the U.S. political system, according to more than half a dozen current and former officials.
Allegedly, the Obama administration received a report stating that Russia was “building a disinformation arm that could be used to interfere in Western democracies.” A U.S. official said that Russian intelligence infiltrated the media, political parties, and lobbying firms in Europe and the United States.
Despite the repeated warnings, the Obama White House did nothing to curtail Russia’s efforts. Over a dozen officials who served in national security told Politico that they knew about Russia’s “aggressive cyberespionage and disinformation campaigns.” The volume of reports increased after the Kremlin’s attempt to meddle in the Ukraine’s elections in 2014. Some officials said that they believe President Barack Obama could have taken more steps to confront Russia on their illicit activities, but that he refused to act.
The Obama administration could have implemented strategies to show Russian intelligence that the United States knew of their operations. They could have closed Russian dachas in Maryland and New York as well as expelled Russian diplomats engaged in counterintelligence. Additionally, the U.S. could have stepped up surveillance on individuals they believed to be Russian operatives. An intelligence official told Politico: “The truth is, nobody wanted to piss off the Russians.”
The reality is that the Obama administration refused to take action against Russia when it was clear that they were conducting counterintelligence operations in the west. The former president was repeatedly urged to stand up to the Kremlin. He was even warned that “the longer we don’t push back, the harder they push.” It is clear that Obama was unwilling to fight Russia’s attempts to undermine western democracies.
While the establishment media has pushed the Russiagate narrative without relent, they all but ignored the fact that the Obama administration knew of the Russian meddling and refused to do anything about it. Former President Obama could have prevented the Kremlin from carrying out their counterintelligence operations but, for some reason, decided to allow it. When the intelligence community discovered that the Russians had hacked the Democratic National Committee (DNC), then-President Obama refused to inform the public. Many believe he did not want to be seen as influencing the results of the election. However, if his administration had stopped the Russians when they had the chance, this would not have been an issue.
While this information does not affect the investigation into Russian meddling, it does indicate the Obama administration’s incompetence in addressing the problem. The Kremlin has been emboldened by the inaction of the former president. Hopefully, President Trump will not make the same mistake.
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