Mother Jones - Trump and Russia: It’s Still Damn Important

Moscow’s efforts to aid the Republican candidate are not old news. It’s happening right now.

David Corn

3 hours ago

During an appearance last week at the Economic Club of Chicago, Donald Trump refused to say whether he had talked with Russian leader Vladimir Putin since his presidency ended almost four years ago. The issue arose because in his new book, journalist Bob Woodward, citing a single source, reported that Trump had chatted with Putin up to seven times following his departure from the White House. Asked about this revelation, Trump said he doesn’t disclose his conversations with foreign leaders—though he recently boasted he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—but he added, “If I did, it’s a smart thing.”

Then the news cycle and the world moved on. Once again, Trump escaped scrutiny of his bizarre and troubling relationship with Putin. But this remains a significant question, as does the larger issue of Trumpworld interactions with Russia, as well as Moscow’s never-ending covert interventions in US elections to benefit Trump.

The Kremlin is once again attempting to subvert an American presidential contest. Throughout this year, US intelligence officials have been warning that Moscow is clandestinely interfering in the 2024 election to help Trump. Last month, a senior official with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence briefed reporters that Russia is using “authentic U.S. voices” to “launder” Russian government propaganda and disseminate false narratives through social media and sham websites, targeting swing states and using artificial intelligence to create fake content that boosts Trump.

One online Russian network, according to the Washington Post, has been “touting a parade of lies about Harris, including that she is showing signs of Alzheimer’s and that her family has secret ties to ‘Big Pharma’ and so would push puberty-blocking drugs.” One Russia-based disinformation campaign, according to Microsoft, pushed the false story that Kamala Harris had been involved in a hit-and-run accident that left a 13-year-old girl paralyzed. This week, US intelligence officials disclosed that a Russian operation used a deepfake video to spread a wild and baseless claim that Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate Tim Walz engaged in sexual misconduct. The intelligence officials also noted Moscow is weighing actions to encourage protests and perhaps violence over the election results. (Iran and China also have run operations aimed at the US election.)

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