Fighting corruption is not just good governance. It's self-defense ~ Joe Biden (dob 11/20/1942) 47th USA VP.
As you've probably heard, WikiLeaks released a bunch of DNC emails. The data was likely liberated from DNC servers by Cozy Bear & Fancy Bear, "hackers working for the Russian government" [1]. Out of the 20K emails, a few were found in which DNC staffers talked about possible strategies they could use to harm the Sanders campaign. Although they never followed through.
One staffer thought that branding Bernie an atheist would harm him among Christian voters. "My Southern Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist", he wrote. (For the record, B-S "declared he had very strong religious and spiritual feelings at a Democratic town hall" in Derry NH on 2/3/2016).
In addition, DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz wrote (in one email) that Bernie Sanders' campaign manager Jeff Weaver was a "damn liar" and "particularly scummy" in regards to what he said about what happened in Nevada.
Also, she didn't like it when B-S didn't drop out soon enough. In response to Weaver saying that Sanders would stay in the race and take the fight to the convention, DWS wrote "He is an ASS". All of which shows that there was a pro-Hillary bias at the DNC under DWS.
"We have published proof that the election campaign of Bernie Sanders was sabotaged in a corrupt manner by [former DNC Chair] Debbie Wasserman Schultz and others within the DNC" is how head WikiLeaker Julian Assange is characterizing the offending emails.
Now, I'm not sure that I quite agree with this statement, as the "sabotaging" was apparently mostly talk and no action. Aside from scheduling the few debates the HRC campaign agreed to on days the audience would be small. In an effort to protect HRC and minimize exposure for B-S (if more people heard what Sanders had to say, more people might decide to vote for him).
So... Bernie WAS corruptly sabotaged. Or, DWS didn't act with impartiality, that's for sure. But Assange is saying the DNC is/was corrupt and B-S was sabotaged. And I think that the Assange narrative is cause for concern. Or a reason to be interested. Despite one pro-HRC blogger (Flying Junior) telling me that "no thinking person" should be interested (in what's in the emails).
Because the WikiLeaks email dump will surely cost HRC votes. Among B-S supporters who are now convinced that the primaries were totally rigged. So, Sanders supporters who MIGHT have voted for HRC when it looked suspicious (that the DNC had its thumb on the scale)... now they may very well dig in their heels and say "no way". They absolutely will not vote for the side that cheated.
Not that there is any evidence that HRC and DWS were in league in regards to any of this cheating (or thumb pressing on the scale. Lightly or heavily). Except for grassroots Clinton field offices being co-located at DNC offices (as per the US Uncut article 5 Times Debbie Wasserman Schultz Violated DNC Rules and Stacked the Deck in Favor of Clinton). And perhaps other examples I'm overlooking.
But the leaking isn't over. Assange is now saying "we have more material related to the Hillary Clinton campaign". Material they haven't already released. Which, while I am a fan of transparency and (as such) approve of WikiLeak's efforts, causes me concern. Because I'm sure none of this info (which hasn't been released yet, but will be) has the possibility of HELPING the HRC campaign.
According to Assange, he "has no interest in tipping the US election in favor of any candidate, including Trump". OK. But certainly this 2nd WikiLeaks release could help Trump. Depending on how bad it is. And, believe me, I do NOT want it to be bad. Because, if it is, those who might still be on the fence, WILL buy the Assange narrative. Which is that the whole thing was rigged from the beginning by the corrupt DWS and HRC (who acted in concert to steal the nomination from B-S).
Although some think the dump does prove that HRC and DWS were co-cheaters. "The Democratic National Committee data breach appears to show the DNC coordinating with Hillary Clinton from the start of the presidential campaign", the NY Post asserts.
| A document to the DNC dated May 26, 2015 - a month after Sanders kicked off his presidential bid - declared that "our goals & strategy" are to "provide a contrast between the GOP field and HRC". (Leaked document shows the DNC wanted Clinton from start by Marisa Schultz. 6/16/2016 NYP). |
And, the Conservative News site Horn News (quoting the NYP article) says "Busted! Document proves DNC, Clinton rigged election". So, whether or not there was a DWS and HRC conspiracy to "pave the way" for Clinton, that WILL be the narrative.
As for me, I'm wondering if these characterizations stretch the definition of "rigging". I'm more comfortable with saying that the DNC under DWS placed their thumbs on the scale. Certainly NOBODY (including ardent HRC supporters) can claim that DWS acted impartially.
Although they may not care. But, like I said, I think they should care. Because (if nothing else) this scandal will cost HRC votes. And possibly the election. Especially if the next dump is as bad as Assange says it's going to be.
| In a recent interview with ITV, Assange said the whistleblowing website will soon be leaking documents that will provide "enough evidence" for the DOJ to indict the presumptive Democratic nominee. ... While Assange didn't specify what exactly was in the emails, he did tell ITV that WikiLeaks had "accumulated a lot of material about Hillary Clinton, which could proceed to an indictment". Assange hinted that the emails slated for publication contain additional information about the Clinton Foundation. He also reminded ITV's Robert Peston that previously released emails contained one damning piece of communication from Clinton, instructing a staffer to remove the classification settings from an official State Department communication and send it through a "nonsecure" channel. (BREAKING: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says his next leak will virtually guarantee an indictment of Hillary Clinton by Shockwave. 7/22/2016 Silence is Consent). |
"Julian Assange was a hero to the left when he leaked information about US documents on the Iraq and Afghan conflicts. I guess not so much anymore, huh?" reads a comment attached to the Horn News article. To which I say "it depends". I'm not in agreement with his assessment of what's been released so far, and (as of today) my opinion regarding Clinton "corruption" is that it's bullshit. The Right has been after the Clintons for decades and the results of all their efforts have been bupkis (SWTD #313).
Despite wasting 80 million "investigating" WJC and 30 million "investigating" HRC.
Now, after the Iraq War documents leak revealed "compelling evidence of war crimes and a sectarian cleansing that led to the mass killing of civilians in Iraq" did ANYONE in the bush administration suffer any appropriate consequences? Consequences like war crimes charges and trials and convictions at the Hague? (Evidence of war crimes in Iraq: WikiLeaks).
As we all know, the answer to that question is NO. Yeah, so I thinking that WHATEVER is in the forthcoming WikiLeaks Clinton info release, HRC will not be indicted. But even if she is, that STILL doesn't mean I'd be open to a president Trump.
We'll just have to wait and see. Me, I'm thinking that - when what Assange is saying about the forthcoming WikiLeaks release turns out to be WAY overblown - my opinion of him will no longer be positive. Regardless, I'm sure there will be (at least some) additional fallout. In which case the consequence might be a squeaker in which HRC narrowly defeats DJT.
Point is, that, despite Assange's claims that he "has no interest in tipping the US election in favor of... Trump", that IS what he's doing. Tipping by how much remains to be seen. If only there was a similar Trump leak. One that showed that Trump won't be releasing his taxes because they show that "he is deeply involved in dealing with Russian oligarchs" (George Will raises possible Trump link to Russian oligarchs).
Or evidence that clearly points to a Trump conviction in regards to his "university" scam. But that's not likely. A similar Trump hack/WikikLeaks release, that is. There is a good chance of judgement against Trump for fraud in regards to his university scam, I think.
Similarly unlikely would be that (after a HRC & DJT WikiLeaks dump) Bernie Sanders joins Jill Stein as the Green Party President and Vice Presidential candidates (respectively). And (due to the GOP and Democratic candidates both having been shown to be corrupt) the Sanders/Stein ticket is elected (with B-S becomming the country's 1st 3rd party POTUS. Then, following the smashing success of the Sanders' agenda, Jill Stein is elected as the country's 2nd 3rd party POTUS in 2024. And 1st female executive).
Footnote
[1] An earlier version of this commentary attributed the DNC hack to Guccifer, but the actual hacker was Guccifer 2.0. Or, he SAYS it was him. The first Guccifer, Marcel Lehel Lazar, was "arrested in Romania on hacking offences [and in] March 2016, he was extradited to the US to face trial on a variety of hacking and fraud charges". The identity of Guccifer 2.0 is currently unknown. His involvement in the DNC hack is doubted because "detailed analysis of the attack on the DNC by US security firm CrowdStrike suggests the organization was actually penetrated... by Cozy Bear and Fancy Bear, 2 hacker groups "closely linked to the Russian Federation's intelligence services".
Video: Julian Assange claims the next leak will lead to the arrest of Hillary Clinton. 7/27/2016 RT (2:53).
WTNPH: On Julian Assange's Claim that the Next Cadre of Wikileaks Releases Will Be Enough to Put Hillary Behind Bars (8/2/2016).
