While the media reports unimportant details of emails from, with few exceptions, mid-level DNC employees, finding nothing much of interest, and the right gets their jollies as if it matters, the real story of huge importance is the connection of Russian Intelligence to the hack.
There has been a lot of speculation on why Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump seems so soft on Russia and Vladimir Putin when he takes a hard line stance on virtually everything and everybody else, foreign and domestic. The Washington Post has reported Trump's financial ties to Russia and Putin may offer some explanation. Indeed some have asked straight out whether Trump is actually working for Russia.
In any event, Trump's recent irresponsible comments regarding the defense of NATO states in the event of a Russian invasion if he were President shows the pro-Putin positions would spill over into policy if he were elected. A Trump Presidency would practically invite on a gold-plated platter Russian mischief in the region. Trump's comments brought a strong rebuke from nervous allies. Indeed the comments show how dangerous a Trump Presidency would be and are a practical invitation to war. Meanwhile Russia rejoices at the thought of taking advantage of a President Trump.
Getting back to the hacking of the DNC. The group thought behind it has been using sophisticated methods to hack government related servers, including in the West, since 2009 this white paper from 2015 shows. The group has long-standing ties to Russian intelligence.Indeed, a month before the DNC hack German Intelligence warned of increasing Russian cyber-espionage into foreign government’s politics. President Obama brought up Russia’s cyber stealth spying in April of 2015. There is no doubt Putin has used his cyber-espionage intelligence gathering services to spy on those opposed to Trump. The real question is why?
I think the real story here is why Russia is secretly engaging in cyber-spying on Donald Trump’s opponents and taking an active interest in the Unites States Presidential election? They seemingly think they have something to gain from a Trump presidency. Given that the manager of the Trump effort, Paul Manafort, has close ties to Russian power brokers including former KGBer Putin and Trump’s ties himself, we have a scary scenario that has arisen where a dangerous nuclear rival could be trying to influence a US Presidential election. Who knows what else their intelligence services are up to?
What needs to happen is for us not to let the media or the public focus on some mundane emails searching for the thinnest hint of scandal or any slight at all to some dispatched rival or public figure. What needs to happen is a focus on who did this hack, why and who could benefit from it?