[dementiapatent]

I find it interesting that similar claims have been made against several members of the Republican party in recent times (by prominent news outlets).

What is the threshold of evidence that taints an entire political party?

[ch4s3]

For the record I think it was wrong then, but there are literal KGB records of people in the working for them, and some were caught and arrested at the time. Again I think the law was wrong, but the concern was real. As for "Russia Gate", I remain in unconvinced.

[*edit] if you’re downvoting, kindly share your disagreement, I’d be interested to hear what you have to say.

[dd36]

The info on Russia gate is public record in courts, the special counsel report, inspector general report, etc. Russia supported Donald Trump.

[ch4s3]

I mean Russia Gate in the conspiratorial Trump as Russian agent sense, which seems unsupported by evidence.

But yes it seems clear that he was Russia’s preferred candidate, though it’s unclear to me whether that made any measurable or meaningful difference. Failing to campaign in the upper Midwest or rust belt as a democrat seemed like an avoidable self-own.

[dd36]

The hacked and leaked DNC and Podesta emails and corresponding fever dreams of cheese pizza meaning child porn and all the other nonsense definitely affected some people. The DNC emails and conspiracies pushed on the left made a lot of Bernie voters sit out. It all adds up. Our national security infrastructure should actively combat that kind of foreign interference.

[ch4s3]

> It all adds up

Does it? The DNC definitely conspired against the Bernie campaign, that’s a fact and they got caught.

The pizza gate nonsense seems like a random chance event. How often do crazy conspiracies for 4chan actually go mainstream?

MSNBC was actively peddling their own nonsense at the time, like the pee tape conspiracy. It was a weird time in American politics.

Two horribly unlikeable and pathological liars were competing and one of them failed to campaign in Michigan.

[dd36]

It’s not random chance to be hacked then have your emails woven into malicious conspiracies. It’s a crime.

The DNC favored the Democrat over the independent. That’s to be expected. The voters picked Hillary. The conspiracy that it was stolen from Bernie was pushed by Russia. It’s literally public record in the Mueller report. I don’t recall if Russia started it but that’s irrelevant. A large organized foreign propaganda machine can seize on something like that and push it far. Russian agents still run many Bernie Reddit and Facebook groups. Just follow r/ActiveMeasures.

Increasing Hillary’s dislike and distrust was very clearly a goal of foreign operatives. It worked.

You cannot point to any one thing and know for sure it was the difference maker. Trump barely won. Any one of 6 things that served to suppress the vote may have made the difference.

[dementiapatent]

Not downvoting, in fact I agree with you. The speed at which these old claims were trotted out against Trump and any Republican right of Lindsay Graham has me thinking about their veracity in a new light.