Bolton: Russian hacks could actually have been by Obama administration

By  <http://www.politico.com/staff/rebecca-morin> REBECCA MORIN

 

12/11/16 09:31 PM EST

Former ambassador John Bolton claimed Sunday that hacks during the election
season could have been “a false flag” operation — possibly committed by the
Obama administration itself.

In an interview with Fox News’ Eric Shawn, the former U.S. ambassador to the
United Nations questioned why FBI Director James Comey said during the
investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private server that there was no direct
evidence of foreign intelligence service penetration, but Russian cyber
fingerprints were found in the alleged presidential election hacks.

“It is not at all clear to me, just viewing this from the outside, that this
hacking into the [Democratic National Committee] and the Republican National
Committee] computers was not a false flag,” Bolton said. “So the question
has to be asked, why did the Russians run their smart intelligence service
against Hillary’s server, but their dumb intelligence service against the
election?” Bolton did not mention that Comey’s statement might have meant
there was no foreign intrusion into Clinton’s server.

Shawn then asked Bolton — who has been mentioned as a possible appointee in
Donald Trump’s State Department — whether he was accusing someone in “the
administration or in the intelligence community” of the alleged false flag.

“We just don’t know,” Bolton said. “But I believe that the intelligence
community has been politicized in the Obama administration to a very
significant degree.”

A “false flag” is a term for a cover-up or distraction orchestrated by the
government or other powerful figures.

Shawn continued to push Bolton, asking why intelligence officials would
politicize the hack and would “go so far to something that could damage the
very issue of our republic and what we for 200-plus years have stood for.”

“The whole thing has been called into question, which is why the notion of
some kind of independent investigation becomes extremely important,” Bolton
said. “I do think it’s critical to answer the question that I posed: If you
think the Russians did this, then why did they leave fingerprints?”

Last week, The Washington Post published a report saying the intelligence
community believes that Russia was favoring Trump in the presidential race.

President Barack Obama has requested a review of the situation. A bipartisan
group of senators — John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Schumer and Jack Reed
— has also called for an independent investigation of alleged Russian
meddling in the U.S. election.

During the interview, Bolton said he had concerns about Obama trying to get
the review wrapped up by Jan. 20. He said he thinks the burden of the review
will fall on Mike Pompeo, Trump’s nominee for director of the CIA.

“He doesn’t bring any baggage to this; I would look to him to head up an
investigation across the entire intelligence community,” Bolton said.

Bolton said that if the claims about Russia were true, the U.S. “should
retaliate.”

“It is unacceptable for the American Constitution to be assaulted by
foreigners in that way. So it is absolutely critical as well that we get the
facts right on this, and I don’t think we have anywhere enough in the public
domain to know what the facts are,” he said.

Asked by Shawn about people who might be bothered by the false flag claim,
Bolton said there needs to be more information about how the intelligence
community came to its conclusion.

“We would want to know who else might want to influence the election and why
they would leave fingerprints that point to the Russians,” Bolton said.
“That’s why I say until we know more about how the intelligence community
came to this conclusion, we don’t whether it’s Russian-inspired or a false
flag.”

 

 

EM

On the 49th Parallel          

                 Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja and Dr. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda is in
anarchy"
                    Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
"Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja na Dk. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda ni
katika machafuko" 

 

 

 

 

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