A report by Reuters describes documents reportedly created by a Rusian think tank that heightens the intrigue of a Trump-Putin connection in the 2016 presidential election.
The response from News and Guts is “drip, drip, drip... Russia... Trump... election... drip, drip, drip…”
Here are the opening paragraphs of the Reuters’ exclusive:
“A Russian government think tank controlled by Vladimir Putin developed a plan to swing the 2016 U.S. presidential election to Donald Trump and undermine voters’ faith in the American electoral system, three current and four former U.S. officials told Reuters.
“They described two confidential documents from the think tank as providing the framework and rationale for what U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded was an intensive effort by Russia to interfere with the Nov. 8 election. U.S. intelligence officials acquired the documents, which were prepared by the Moscow-based Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, after the election.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin attends
a meeting with
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev (not pictured)
in Moscow's Kremlin, Russia April 5, 2017.
REUTERS/Pavel Golovkin/Pool
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By Ned Parker, Jonathan Landay and John Walcott
The Russian Institute for Strategic Studies Director M. Fradkov made a statement in reply to Reuters’ publication that RISS has developed some documents that allegedly became the basis of the strategy of intervention of Russia in the elections in the United States 2016.
“Yet before joining RISS, I was aware that this Institute is an authoritative analytical organization with high-skilled professionals, but certainly not for the purposes, which are now being attributed to the Institute, of performing in fact pre-prepared information operations. I have checked this out for myself once again, having joined RISS as its Director.
“It seems that the authors of this idea have failed to reconcile in their conspiratorial mindset the existing realities with the desired fantasies to once again draw attention of public to the alleged Russia’s intervention in the election campaign in the United States, as the interest to this topic is being slumping. The attempt to engage Russia as a co-conspirator is faulty at its core. We could left this event without any reaction and treat this as RISS’ promotion in line with the reorganization, which the Institution is now undergoing. However, even an advertisement, if it’s is built on misinformation, is far not what I would like to record in my assets.
“Unfortunately, this makes us think that RISS is getting in the way to somebody. If this is true, then it’s a pity.
“In-depth analytical research and forecasts on current international situation, derived therefrom, today are being demanded more than ever before. We will keep doing this job in partnership with interested and responsible colleagues.”
