Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
FBI Warned Giuliani, Senator Johnson of Russian Disinformation
The FBI gave defensive briefings to Rudy Giuliani (ex-President Trump's lawyer) and Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) back in 2019. Agents told both men that they were targets of Russian disinformation campaigns. The briefings were separate from Justice Department investigations into the matter. Neither man responded properly to the warning. Both are probably Russian assets if not agents.
The Washington Post reported, "Despite the alert, Giuliani went forward in December 2019 with a planned trip to Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, where he met with a Ukrainian lawmaker whom the U.S. government later labeled 'an active Russian agent' and sanctioned on grounds he was running an 'influence campaign' against Biden. That operation, officials said, involved Ukrainian officials and political consultants who the U.S. intelligence community has since concluded were acting as Russian proxies not only to smear Biden and derail his candidacy but also to curtail U.S. support for Ukraine."
In the case of Senator Johnson, the WaPo quoted him "Regarding reports that I received an FBI briefing warning me that I was a target of Russian disinformation, I can confirm I received such a briefing in August of 2020. I asked the briefers what specific evidence they had regarding this warning, and they could not provide me anything other than the generalized warning. Without specific information, I felt the briefing was completely useless and unnecessary (since I was fully aware of the dangers of Russian disinformation)."
Given both men's behavior, neither appreciates the dangers of Russian disinformation. As for the specificity, no FBI man is going to give over details that could compromise an active investigating. Yesterday, the FBI executed a search warrant at Mr. Giuliani's home and office, taking several electronic devices including his cell phone.
In addition, the One America News network was also given a defensive briefing as its “reporters” accompanied Mr. Giuliani on his trip to Ukraine. The network issued a statement that did not address its complicity in the disinformation campaign but which did allege Hunter Biden got paid improperly by Burisma, a Ukrainian natural gas company.
The stooges of Russian intelligence are in quite a bit of trouble now. Their protector, William Barr, is no longer Attorney General, and the fact that they have received warnings from the FBI means that they cannot claim ignorance as a defense. They knew they were targets after late 2019, and in 2020, they persisted in toeing the Kremlin's line.
While Senator Johnson probably has no one to give up, Mr. Giuliani can turn on President Trump if things get much worse for him. This means that the former Mayor of New York may serve less time than Senator Johnson if things go badly for them, and that would be unfair as Mr. Giuliani has done much more harm to American democracy than the senator.
Nevertheless, the truth is important, and the fact is that the Russians have been meddling in US politics for years. They have found people willing to do their bidding for whatever reasons. American national security depends on rooting them out. The fact that the FBI managed to secure a search warrant for the ex-president's lawyer says there is a great deal of smoke. One expects revelations about fire shortly.
© Copyright 2021 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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