‘US intel report shoots the messenger to distract from message’

The ‘intelligence’ report accusing the Kremlin and RT of influencing the US presidential poll downplays the fact that the leaked content swayed public opinion against Clinton, the editor of Defense and Foreign Affairs has said.

READ MORE: ‘US intel community lost professional discipline’ – Ex-NSA tech director

“This is a highly politically motivated and a subjective report which was issued by the intelligence community. And it is not surprising that it rushed to this report whilst the Obama administration is still in office because there was no question that it was politically induced this report,” Gregory Copley told RT.

Read more

RT stars in ODNI report on 'Russian activities and intentions' in US presidential election

“[The report] does not present evidence of successful or even an attempt to actually actively manipulate the election process,” he added. “The question is, did the Obama administration, did the failed candidacy of Hillary Clinton, seek to blame the Russian government for the failure of Democrats to win the election? Almost certainly!”

Copley questioned the logic behind producing such a report before Barack Obama leaves office, saying that all the claims produced in the report clearly show that Russia was not meddling in US affairs.

“If the Russian government was itself trying to influence the election then it did a very poor job of doing it because Hillary Clinton won the popular vote,” Copley states.

“So, in other words, the message extensively coming from the Kremlin did not get to the Electorate. And what saved the democracy in a sense was the Electoral College process which actually restored some of the balance to the regions, rather than just to the urban areas.”

It is not Russia the Democrats should blame their loss in November.

“This intelligence report and all of the claims about this so called hacking is an attempt to shoot the messenger rather than to allow the people to focus on the message,” Copley explained.

Read more

Trump: Meeting with intel officials 'constructive,' hacking had 'absolutely no effect' on election

And the message Copley said, had nothing to do with Russia. The content that influenced the voters came from the Clinton camp, which wanted to keep the secrets revealed by WikiLeaks hidden from the public.

“The fact was there was a degree of transparency in this election because a number of people released the context of democratic party emails...and the result was that the public saw themselves directly and transparently what the policies and the attitudes were of Hillary Clinton and her team. And they may have voted based on the information.”

“But that is the message. Andthat was the message created not by the Russian intelligence services nor the Russian government. These were messages created by candidate Clinton herself, her team. And the US public may well have judged the election based on that information, on that transparency. So the question is – was that a crime?” Copley said.