Russia

U.S. officials have informed Senator Bernie Sanders that Russia is attempting to aid his presidential campaign in an effort to interfere in the 2020 Democratic primary, the Washington Post reported on Friday. It’s not yet clear how Russia is backing Sanders this time around, but in its efforts to help elect President Trump in 2016, the Kremlin used social media to support the Sanders campaign and fuel discord and division among the U.S. electorate to weaken support for Hillary Clinton. … [Read more...] about U.S. Officials Warned Bernie Sanders Russia Is Trying to Help His Campaign

“We do not participate in Twitter diplomacy,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “We support serious approaches. We continue to believe that it is important not to take steps that could harm an already fragile situation.” … [Read more...] about Russia to Trump: ‘We Don’t Do Twitter Diplomacy’

It’s also unclear how Russia would actually ban the service, as Telegram could bypass the restrictions — unless Russia blocked all messenger traffic within the country. Andrei Soldatov, a Russian telecommunications analyst, told The Independent that the Kremlin is reluctant to go that far. … [Read more...] about Telegram app is a favorite of Kremlin officials, but Russia wants to block it

So there’s a lot we don’t yet know. But based on the precedent Mueller has already set, it wouldn’t be a stretch to expect his office to bring a fresh round of federal conspiracy charges against actors — whether that be Assange, executives at Cambridge Analytica, or other intermediaries — who attempted to impair the lawful functions of the government by concealing activities that they should’ve disclosed to, say, the Federal Election Commission or the Justice Department. “A method that makes uses of innocent individuals or businesses to reach and defraud the United States is not, for that reason, beyond the scope” of the law of conspiracy, the Supreme Court said some 30 years ago. … [Read more...] about Mueller’s Interest in Obstruction Is Probably Just the Tip of the Iceberg

Trump’s desire to move on from the Russia investigation, which has plagued his administration in its early days, is understandable. Unfortunately for the president, one big obstacle to doing so will likely be his own words: He has spent decades pursuing—and publicly discussing—business ties in Russia, meaning that his claims to currently have “no connections to” the country strain credulity. … [Read more...] about Trump’s Been Talking About His Business Interests in Russia for 30 Years