Tag: kremlin propaganda
Tulsi Gabbard

Kremlin Advocate Gabbard Will Plead For Senate Confirmation On Hill

Tulsi Gabbard is heading to Capitol Hill to beg senators for votes. Like so many of Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks, Gabbard has her work cut out for her.

The felon-elect’s pick for director of national intelligence has drawn critical eyes as it has been revealed the former Democrat has a penchant for Russian propaganda.

Former Gabbard aides told ABC News last week that the Democrat-turned-MAGA apologist would regularly read and share stories from RT—a state-run media outlet formerly known as Russia Today.

Despite Democrats claiming Gabbard is a “Russian asset,” her former coworkers said that’s not quite the case. However, the ex-aides do think that the former Hawaii representative has adopted some more sympathetic viewpoints that align with the Kremlin due to her consumption of the pro-Russian media. Adding fuel to the fire, the aides released a memo, obtained by ABC, sent to them in 2017, which echoed this stance.

Gabbard pointed fingers at the U.S. and NATO for provoking Russian aggression, criticizing the U.S. for its “hostility towards Putin.”

“There certainly isn't any guarantee to Putin that we won't try to overthrow Russia's government,” she wrote. Gabbard added that she was “pretty sure” there were some “American politicians who would love to do that.”

She also drew ire for a controversial 2017 meeting with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, who, as of this week, has reportedly been granted asylum in Russia after rebel forces seized control of Damascus.

Speculation aside, Gabbard’s reputation for commingling with dictators has drawn fierce criticism as she is poised to oversee U.S. spy agencies and would have a treasure trove of the country’s biggest secrets.

“Behind closed doors, people think she might be compromised. Like it’s not hyperbole,” one Republican Senate aide told The Hill, adding, “There are members of our conference who think she’s a [Russian] asset.”

But that hasn’t stopped Fox News from drumming up their own pro-Gabbard takes as well. The outlet has leaned on veterans and bashing Democrats as a means to prop up Gabbard. As Fox News writes, many other outlets have “attempted to paint Gabbard as a national security risk who is sympathetic to U.S. adversaries.”

However, instead of addressing the narrative further, Fox has only addressed these claims of dictator sympathy once. The Murdoch-owned outlet seemingly buried any information regarding the accusations at the bottom of a story bashing one Democrat for even suggesting Gabbard was associated with the likes of Putin or al-Assad.

As for Gabbard, she isn’t the only one of Trump’s picks on Capitol Hill this week vying for votes that may be stacked against them. Fox News’ Pete Hegseth is on the Hill pleading to senators as he tries to collect favorable votes—despite being an alcoholic with sexual assault allegations among a list of other offenses.

May the odds be ever in your favor.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Former Aides Say Tulsi Gabbard Was Duped By Kremlin Propaganda

Former Aides Say Tulsi Gabbard Was Duped By Kremlin Propaganda

Tulsi Gabbard, the onetime Democrat who is Donald Trump’s pick to be the country’s next director of national intelligence, was a faithful consumer of Kremlin-controlled media, three of her former congressional aides told ABC News.

According to ABC’s report, the aides said that the failed presidential candidate regularly read and shared stories from RT—a state-run media outlet formerly known as Russia Today—even after being told that it wasn’t a credible news source. Gabbard’s former staffers suggested that they didn’t buy some claims from Democrats that their former boss is a “Russian asset.” But they do believe she’s become a staunch advocate for one of the United States’ chief adversaries thanks to her routine consumption of pro-Russia propaganda.

It’s unclear just how much consuming news from these outlets shaped Gabbard’s worldview. In fact, her former aides said that Gabbard read news from a plethora of outlets, ranging from stories peddled by far left factions to articles from extreme-right sources. But Gabbard’s views on Russian aggression in Europe, specifically, have become increasingly eyebrow-raising since her days as a Democratic House member representing Hawaii.

The aides provided ABC News with an internal memo that Gabbard sent to staff in 2017, for instance, which showed her extending unwarranted sympathy to the Kremlin. Among many other damning things, the former Bernie Sanders loyalist-turned-MAGA apologist complained about the United States’ “hostility toward Putin” and bemoaned the fact that “there isn’t any guarantee to Put that we won’t try to overthrow Russia’s government.”

“In fact, I’m pretty sure there are American politicians who would love to do that,” she added.

These fresh allegations against Gabbard have heightened some Democrats’ fears about her securing a spot in Trump’s Cabinet. Ivo Daalder, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO during the Obama administration, told ABC News that the thoughts outlined in Gabbard’s 2017 memo were “basically the Russian playbook.” He also expressed anxiety that she could soon be charged with overseeing America’s most sensitive intelligence assets.

Her sympathy toward the Kremlin only grew after 2017. During her unsuccessful presidential run in 2020, Gabbard criticized America’s involvement in Syria’s civil war as a “regime change war” on President Bashar Assad, a key Russian ally. And in 2022, Gabbard defended Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine and went so far as to blame the United States and NATO for provoking the war by ignoring Russia’s security concerns.

And she didn’t stop there. In October, Gabbard baselessly suggested that Vice President Kamala Harris was the main instigator of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

Gabbard’s pro-Russia takes have not gone unnoticed by the senators who will determine whether she earns a spot in the Trump administration. Even before ABC News’ bombshell report, some Republicans indicated that they were nervous about Gabbard’s worrisome positions on foreign policy issues, as well as her promotion of Russian propaganda.

“Behind closed doors, people think she might be compromised. Like it’s not hyperbole,” one Republican Senate aide told The Hill. “There are members of our conference who think she’s a [Russian] asset.”

These latest revelations certainly aren’t good news for Trump, who has already had two of his nominees drop out (see: Matt Gaetz and Chad Chronister, his picks to head up the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration).

The good news for Gabbard, at least for now, is that another one of Trump’s potential appointees, defense secretary nominee and Fox News host Pete Hegseth, is now in the hot seat for a series of scandalous revelations and accusations about his own past. That means Gabbard’s troublesome views and actions have flown mostly under the radar.

But who knows how long that will last.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Republicans Using Hurricane Relief To Promote 'Kremlin Propaganda'

Republicans Using Hurricane Relief To Promote 'Kremlin Propaganda'

As the devastation from Hurricane Helene became increasingly apparent over the weekend, MAGA loyalists were falsely blaming the U.S. federal government, Vice President Kamala Harris, and President Joe Biden of ignoring the victims and refusing to provide critical resources. As critics called out their lies, one fascism and authoritarianism expert accused pro-Trump social media accounts linking Ukraine aid to Helene assistance of spreading Russian propaganda.

'We're not leaving until the job is done," President Biden vowed Monday morning in a White House address (video below), saying he expects to tour the areas devastated by Helene this week, likely Wednesday or Thursday—but not until first responders are able to do their work without his presence being "disruptive."

"I've been told that if we disrupt, if I did it right now, we will not do that at the risk of diverting or delaying any response assets needed to deal with this crisis."

The President then detailed the scope of the federal government's response.

"I and my team are in constant contact with governors, mayors and local members. Head of FEMA, Ann Griswold, is on the ground now in North Carolina. She's going to stay in Asheville, and that place of reason for the foreseeable future, there's been reports of over 100 dead and the consequence of the storm, and there are reports about 600 people unaccounted for because they can't be contacted. God willing they're alive, but there's no way to contact them again because of the lack of cell phone coverage."

"I directed my team to provide every available resource as fast as possible to their communities, to rescue, recover and to begin rebuilding," Biden said.

He noted that FEMA, the Federal Communications Commission, the National Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Department of Defense are on the ground.

"So far, that's over 3600 personnel deployed. That number is growing by the day."

"I quickly approved requests from governors of Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia and Alabama for an emergency declaration. And I approved additional requests for the governors of North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, and for disaster declaration to pay for debris removal, provide financial assistance directly to survivors. FEMA and Small Business Administration are there to help the residents whose homes and businesses were literally destroyed, washed away or blown away, and the federal search and rescue teams have been working side by side with state and local officials and partners in very treacherous conditions to find those who are missing and they'll not rest until everyone's accounted for."

"Your nation has your back, and the Biden Harris administration will be there until the job is done," the President promised.

He also suggested he may ask Congress to return from its extended recess to approve additional funding for the areas devastated by Hurricane Helene.

The White House on Sunday published an even more detailed report, which circulated on social media.

Barely minutes after President Biden concluded his remarks, Donald Trump posted on social media he was on his way to Valdosta, Georgia, claiming he will travel to North Carolina later, "but don’t like the reports that I’m getting about the Federal Government, and the Democrat Governor of the State, going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas. MAGA!"

Trump's suggestion is false, according to numerous reports.

"More than 500 North Carolina National Guard members are now working alongside local emergency responders conducting search and rescue missions, delivering needed supplies and working to restore infrastructure," North Carolina's Democratic Governor Ray Cooper said Sunday, the Asheville Citizen Times reported.

"The U.S. National Guard said on X Sunday that more than 5,500 members from 11 states are supporting Hurricane Helene response missions," the paper added. "The North Carolina National guard activated more than 500 soldiers and airmen along with over 200 vehicles and aircraft, according to a post on X Sunday."

But in May of 2017, then-President Trump denied "99 percent of federal recovery funds for Hurricane Matthew," PBS News reported.

Despite the massive federal response by the Biden administration, Trump and his MAGA supporters and disinformation purveyors have been "pushing Kremlin propaganda" about the response, falsely claiming that Biden and Harris, or the federal government in general, are refusing to assist victims, and state and local governments, with a large focus on funding for Ukraine.

"This propaganda to tie the hurricane to Ukraine is insane," wrote the Center for European Policy Analysis's Olga Lautman, whose "research focuses on the cross-section of organized crime and intelligence operations in Russia and Ukraine, their impact on the West, and the monitoring of active measures campaigns conducted by the Kremlin to destabilize democratic practices and influence foreign elections."

"For 2 days, far right propagandists are lying that Ukraine received funding and Americans aren’t despite Biden approving immediate federal funds. More proof of them pushing kremlin propaganda by focusing only on Ukraine," she added.

Despite countless news reports to the contrary, Sunday evening, far-right podcaster and columnist Matt Walsh falsely declared: "Unfortunately the North Carolina flood victims are citizens of the USA, not Ukraine, so the Biden Administration sees no reason to help them."

Stephen Miller, the former Trump White House senior advisor and architect of his child separation policy, falsely claimed on Sunday evening: "Kamala used every available government resource to airlift and evacuate 500 thousand Haitian illegals to the United States. But she couldn’t lift a finger to rescue drowning Americans in Asheville."

Monday morning he responded to a Harris video vowing to help those affected by Helene, and despite all reports of aid and assistance, he wrote: "Americans are dying and they are drowning. You failed to warn them. You failed to evacuate them. You failed to rescue them. Just like you failed in Afghanistan. Except this is on our own soil."

A former editor at the far right-wing website Breitbart, Emma-Jo Morris, on Sunday evening wrote on social media, "I wish North Carolina was as important as Ukraine." That one post has received almost one million views. She followed that up with, "Isn’t there a corruption opportunity for Joe Biden in North Carolina so we can get them some aid."

Far right-wing commentator and conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich on Sunday blasted this post off to his 1.3 million followers: "They let Maui burn, they let Asheville drown, can the country survive four more years of this?"

Other top pro-Trump surrogates, like U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Monday afternoon falsely claimed the Biden-Harris administration "Abandoned the people of North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee impacted by the hurricane."

Watch the videos above or at this link.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Kremlin Still Claims Kherson Even As Russian Troops Abandon Major Port City

Kremlin Still Claims Kherson Even As Russian Troops Abandon Major Port City

The Russian army pulled out of the region around the city of Kherson overnight on Thursday, leaving behind army uniforms, stockpiles of ammunition, and a local populace cheering the arrival of Ukrainian forces in the street. The New York Times reported from the front lines yesterday that the Russian military has left the small village of Blahodatne, located on the strategic M14 main highway leading to Mykolaiv, another port city on the Pivdennnyi Buh about 60 miles west of Kherson. Ukraine has held Mykolaiv for some time but has not held Blahodatne or any of the other villages to the west and north of Kherson.

The Russian defense ministry announced in Moscow this morning that the retreat of all Russian troops on the west bank of the Dnipro River was complete. The Times, which has a photographer and at least two reporters on the scene, reported that the Russians are setting up new defensive positions on the east bank of the Dnipro and were beginning to shell Ukrainian military units advancing on Kherson on the west bank of the river.

The Times reporters, Andrew E. Kramer and Marc Santora, wrote that they had spoken by phone to residents of Kherson this morning who told them that “While there was no visible Russian military presence in the city on Friday, four residents described seeing Russian soldiers dressed in civilian clothes — some armed — moving about parts of the city.”

“Kherson is returning under the control of Ukraine. Units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are entering the city,” the intelligence directorate of Ukraine’s defense ministry said in a statement released in Kyiv on Friday morning.

Meanwhile, in Moscow, Putin’s government appeared to still be laying claim to Kherson. “Kherson region is a subject of the Russian Federation. This status is fixed,” Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, announced. “There can be no changes here.”

Reports from the front lines in Kherson indicate that Peskov should probably consult the local residents, who continued to greet advancing Ukrainian troops waving the distinctive blue and yellow national flag of Ukraine. The Russian defense ministry spokesman in Moscow appeared just as deluded. “Not a single piece of military equipment and weaponry was left … and there were no losses of personnel, weapons, equipment,” a defense ministry spokesman said.

Below is a photograph of a warehouse in Blahodatne that was part of a Russian military base there. The photo was taken by Lynsey Addario of the New York Times on Friday morning. It shows stacks of ammunition boxes and rows of what appear to be 82 mm mortar rounds lying on the ground. That is Russian ammunition. Those are Ukrainian troops walking through the warehouse examining their find.

Ukrainian soldiers in weapons depot captured from Russians in Blahodatne, Ukraine on November 11, 2022Photo by Lynsey Addario/New York Times


Lucian K. Truscott IV, a graduate of West Point, has had a 50-year career as a journalist, novelist, and screenwriter. He has covered Watergate, the Stonewall riots, and wars in Lebanon, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He is also the author of five bestselling novels. You can subscribe to his daily columns at luciantruscott.substack.com and follow him on Twitter @LucianKTruscott and on Facebook at Lucian K. Truscott IV.

Reprinted with permission fromLucian Truscott Newsletter

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