Patterico's Pontifications

8/10/2017

The Scales Fall from (Some) Progressive Eyes

Filed under: General — JVW @ 2:27 pm



[guest post by JVW]

When you have lost The Nation. . . .

All this was set in motion when the DNC’s mail server was first violated in the spring of 2016 and by subsequent assertions that Russians were behind that “hack” and another such operation, also described as a Russian hack, on July 5. These are the foundation stones of the edifice just outlined. The evolution of public discourse in the year since is worthy of scholarly study: Possibilities became allegations, and these became probabilities. Then the probabilities turned into certainties, and these evolved into what are now taken to be established truths. By my reckoning, it required a few days to a few weeks to advance from each of these stages to the next. This was accomplished via the indefensibly corrupt manipulations of language repeated incessantly in our leading media.

It may not come as a surprise that this is a curiously-written article, and rather poorly edited at that (having no editor, my jumbled prose is understandable). The author of the piece, Patrick Lawrence, informs us: “Forensic investigators, intelligence analysts, system designers, program architects, and computer scientists [. . .] are now producing evidence disproving the official version of key events last year.” Mr. Lawrence then summarizes their work with a block quote from some source that remains unidentified and unlinked. But, for what it’s worth, here’s what the block quote tells us:

There was no hack of the Democratic National Committee’s system on July 5 last year—not by the Russians, not by anyone else. Hard science now demonstrates it was a leak—a download executed locally with a memory key or a similarly portable data-storage device. In short, it was an inside job by someone with access to the DNC’s system. This casts serious doubt on the initial “hack,” as alleged, that led to the very consequential publication of a large store of documents on WikiLeaks last summer.

Forensic investigations of documents made public two weeks prior to the July 5 leak by the person or entity known as Guccifer 2.0 show that they were fraudulent: Before Guccifer posted them they were adulterated by cutting and pasting them into a blank template that had Russian as its default language. Guccifer took responsibility on June 15 for an intrusion the DNC reported on June 14 and professed to be a WikiLeaks source—claims essential to the official narrative implicating Russia in what was soon cast as an extensive hacking operation. To put the point simply, forensic science now devastates this narrative.

I think maybe the material in the block quote is simply Mr. Lawrence’s summary of what the forensic investigators have covered. The reprint of this article on the ConsortiumNews.com website renders these two paragraphs as bullet points rather than a block quote, which leads me to believe that it is just his own summary, not a quote from a different source.

Lest you assert that Mr. Lawrence is not indeed some wild-eyed leftist, he then gives a brief overview of all of the alleged false-flag operations throughout U.S. history beginning with the sinking of the Maine up through what he characterizes as “claims” of communist infiltration in Central America. His central point is that government agencies like the NSA, the CIA, and the FBI can’t be trusted to investigate beyond the officially-sanctioned talking points determined by the ruling class and disseminated by the media, a criticism that certainly has a kernel of truth to it, if it is in fact perhaps somewhat overstated. The remainder of his article goes through the findings of various leftist anti-authority organizations who according to Mr. Lawrence have been investigating the email release and Russia connection, and covers such techie topics as transfer rates and ISP bandwidths to suggest that it is extremely unlikely (if not impossible) that this material was actually downloaded and far more likely that it was saved to a removable drive at the source, thus suggesting an inside job at the DNC.

Anyway, these findings dovetail with some reports published earlier that were widely disseminated on right-wing sites. It always gets real fun when elements of the left and right unite to push back against a narrative that is being advanced by elements of the left and right. Who knows how this will all turn out, but I’m willing to bet that we will never come to full agreement on it.

– JVW

37 Responses to “The Scales Fall from (Some) Progressive Eyes”

  1. So was this in fact a jilted Bernie Bro within the DNC who decided to blow the whistle, or could this be a mole set up by the opposition? The possibilities are intriguing, endless, and endlessly intriguing.

    JVW (42615e)

  2. Doesn’t this kick out another leg of the “Russian” election interference narrative?

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  3. The rumor mill says Seth Rich, jilted Bernie Bro working for the DNC; and he communicated with Kim Dotcom to get advice on details as to how to properly 1. get the download in a google-authenticated manner and 2. get it to Julian Assange/Wikileaks.

    Ingot (e5bf64)

  4. Call me crazy but I’m looking at a Breitbart connection. Wiener/Huma email hacks are just part of the rat-fu*over playbook. Remember this for future revelations.

    Ben burn (9f4670)

  5. But Seth Rich was a Birfer mole who made the ultimate sacrifice and Sanders the closet transgender, finally convinced Kaitlen Jenner to stop wearing that stupid MAGA hat. What’s left to know?

    Ben burn (9f4670)

  6. Either a Bernie Bro or the Pakistani Three. They already know Imran Awan downloaded stuff.

    Patricia (5fc097)

  7. I was almost certain of this when I first heard of it. Also the other stories of the purported hacks of voter registration lists. That they were inside jobs. Not only because it’s the most likely and easiest way that data is stolen. But mainly because Democrats lie. Whenever a Democrat tells you he was hacked, reach for the salt shaker. Whether it’s Anthony Weiner talking about the sexts on his Twitter, or the DNC.

    nk (dbc370)

  8. You can check.

    From the outset I thought this Russia gamble was like going after Nixon’s AG Mitchell prematurely. When you miss everyone relaxes…the emphasis should be in emoluements. I believe Mueller understands and that’s the focus.

    Ben burn (9f4670)

  9. There is now underway a full-on effort by the Dems and the Left to minimize the massive breach of Dem information systems which includes highly sensitive and classified official congressional files. They know they can’t possibly withstand the outrage of the voters if the truth comes out.

    So…nothing to see. Move on.

    A tragic aspect to all this is that DJT will refuse to push any legit investigations. His good buddies at Deep Intel will see to it that his natural incuriousness will prevail.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5)

  10. The DNC documents were released by the Russians and therefore probably originally obtained by Russian.

    There have been a lot of sources about a hack being discovered. Guccifer 2.0 attempting to disguise where they came from doesn’t mean they weren’t hacks.

    Sammy Finkelman (02a146)

  11. I understand the psychology behind exalted poutrage over 4 dead in Benghazi as counterpoint to nearly 45,000 dead Americans in Iraq, but does that moral relativism have to be implemented in every circumstance?

    Ben burn (9f4670)

  12. There is now underway a full-on effort by the Dems and the Left to minimize the massive breach of Dem information systems which includes highly sensitive and classified official congressional files. They know they can’t possibly withstand the outrage of the voters if the truth comes out.

    Since we’re into the I-told-you-so mode (not that there is anything wrong with that), I said from the very beginning that the GOP should have agreed to a full and public Congressional Joint Committee investigation of this, provided that all aspects of the matter were on the table including John Podesta’s relationship with Russian figures, Hillary’s email server issues starring Huma Abedin with a special guest appearance by Anthony Weiner, and various other ancillary scandals surrounding this mess. Imagine how much harder a time the media would have ignoring these revelations if they had been covered in a Congressional committee room.

    JVW (42615e)

  13. I understand the psychology behind exalted poutrage over 4 dead in Benghazi as counterpoint to nearly 45,000 dead Americans in Iraq, but does that moral relativism have to be implemented in every circumstance?

    Oh look, a small nut-gathering rodent who resides in trees.

    JVW (42615e)

  14. It confirms what many of us have been saying — the charges of a Russian conspiracy have been “Trumped up.”

    Possibilities became allegations, and these became probabilities. Then the probabilities turned into certainties, and these evolved into what are now taken to be established truths.

    Indeed. I wonder if that’s what that Pakistani IT guy has on the DNC — that he supplied the info to Wikileaks, and that their whole story is a knowing lie that he can expose.

    Kevin M (752a26)

  15. Emoluments — you mean like Hillary’s money sack (the Foundation) getting millions from countries who wanted something from her?

    Kevin M (752a26)

  16. “Oh look, a small nut-gathering rodent who resides in trees.”

    Squirrelly non sequitur ..

    But that answer resonates with all the egregious Hillary crimes and misdemeanors.

    Ben burn (9f4670)

  17. I’m not saying he just cheats at golf, kevin.

    Ben burn (9f4670)

  18. The Pakistani IT guy worked for Debbie Wasserman Shultz, but not at the DNC.

    He wss probably a spy, among other things, but probably for Pakistan or one of its allies, which does not include Russia but does include China and some Gulf countries.

    Sammy Finkelman (02a146)

  19. JVW (42615e) — 8/10/2017 @ 3:45 pm

    I said from the very beginning that the GOP should have agreed to a full and public Congressional Joint Committee investigation of this

    I don’t think Mueller wants that, and I think the reason he used a search warrant on Paul Manafort was to prevent him from turning thngs over to committees in Congress.

    Sammy Finkelman (02a146)

  20. For the technically inclined, here is The Forensicator’s study of the metadata in the archive file attributed to Guccifer 2.0 published and Adam Carter’s Guccifer 2.0 analysis that’s been circulating the web until it finally caught the attention of the Nation.

    Whatever one may think of the credibility of the ex-intel guys vouching for it, the analysis is compelling and difficult to reconcile with the Brennan/Comey/Clapper narrative.

    If this is true, everything we think we “know” about Russia-palooza is wrong.

    crazy (11d38b)

  21. Exactly Jeffery Carr and Robert m lance already found they couldn’t pin the software exclusively tie guru which is actually the mist alarming bit

    narciso (d1f714)

  22. U.S. Department of Justice and the D.C. Swamp

    http://canadafreepress.com/article/u.s.-department-of-justice-and-the-d.c.-swamp

    Truthbetold (1ab5c1)

  23. Did you go review the links, narciso?

    crazy (11d38b)

  24. Curious about your opinion of the strength of the analysis

    crazy (11d38b)

  25. I relied on others research, its a big nothingburger,

    narciso (d1f714)

  26. I understand the psychology behind exalted poutrage over 4 dead in Benghazi as counterpoint to nearly 45,000 dead Americans in Iraq, but does that moral relativism have to be implemented in every circumstance?

    Er, so more Americans have died in Iraq than Korea? Who knew.

    B.A. DuBois (80f588)

  27. crazy

    Russia – palooza is not about the election. It was hatched to distract from the Clintons ties to Russia and the leaks of emails from DNC and the Awan brothers situation.

    We would be hearing a slightly different version of this Russia interfered crap if Clinton won.

    Truthbetold (1ab5c1)

  28. Almost 4,500…big difference one digit makes.

    Now about that Benghazi 4.

    Ben burn (9f4670)

  29. d.c. 3 card-monty

    mg (31009b)

  30. For 5he pastries mostly:
    babalublog.com/2017/08/10/whoops-why-was-north-koreas-chief-of-foreign-intelligence-and-cyber-warfare-recently-welcomed-in-cuba

    narciso (d1f714)

  31. @11 Ben Burn

    Aren’t you off by a factor of 10?

    Pinandpuller-Don't want to be that guy but I'm being that guy (16b0b5)

  32. @28 Ben Burn

    Four “If X only saves one life” people walk into a pool supply store…

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  33. We interrupt this batty Mcguire simulcast:
    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-texas-idUSKBN1AQ1YE?il=0

    narciso (d1f714)

  34. For crying out loud, Sammy, Imran had access to Debbie’s iPad and thus her DNC files.

    She was the head of the DNC for years, remember?

    http://dailycaller.com/2017/03/09/suspect-in-house-it-security-probe-also-had-access-to-dnc-emails/

    Patricia (5fc097)

  35. They’ll be alright Nars, I just hope some North or East Texas asset gobbling Sheriff doesn’t go Rinaldi on some upstanding Tejanos.

    urbanleftbehind (0e2f1d)

  36. What difference – at this point, what difference does it make?

    Kevin M (752a26)

  37. This is an interesting tale, if only because it’s showing up in a leftist article. The cognitive dissonance that people over there are getting over the crux of the article is entertaining.

    NJRob (7f4bec)


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