# White House announces Russian sanctions. **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 29, 2016, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-announces-russian-sanctions/775863 "2016-12-29T20:31:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-announces-russian-sanctions/775863/361 "2017-01-09T21:42:07Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > WHY didn’t the Obama administration deal with these Russian activities months before he did? Well this one has been asked and [answered](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/14/us/politics/obama-russia-hack-democrats.html) [QUOTE=NYT] But the administration’s delayed response also resulted because Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee, had been making repeated claims about how the election was being rigged, and Mr. Obama did not want to do anything that would feed those charges, Mr. Earnest said. When the Obama administration first took office, it was deeply aware of criticism leveled at the prior administration of President George W. Bush that top officials had sought to shape or politicize intelligence conclusions on whether President Saddam Hussein of Iraq had so-called weapons of mass destruction. Mr. Obama has said that he sought from the first days of his presidency to protect the intelligence process from any hint of political interference. [/QUOTE] Basically he didn’t want to be like Comey. But given that according the doorhinge rules of universal blame, everything must be Obama’s fault we can lay the blame for the hacking at Obama’s feet. Meanwhile in the next universe over where Obama did decide to come out with the intelligence earlier we have doorhinge2 (who looks just like our doorhinge but has is left handed) who is complaining the Obama rigged the election by pushing the CIA to leak a story about Trump being a Russian agent to put Clinton on top. Damned if you do damned if you don’t. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-announces-russian-sanctions/775863/362 "2017-01-10T20:55:17Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Well this one has been asked and [answered](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/14/us/politics/obama-russia-hack-democrats.html) (post shortened) _Originally Posted by NYT But the administration’s delayed response also resulted because Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee, had been making repeated claims about how the election was being rigged, and Mr. Obama did not want to do anything that would feed those charges, Mr. Earnest said._ Hahahaha. According to Earnest, Obama chose not deal with Russian interference in the U.S. election because of Donald J. Trump. _It wasn’t me, sez the Obama. Trump is responsible for the Obama choosing not to deal with Russian interference. It’s never the Obama’s fault, or the Obama’s responsibility._ ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-announces-russian-sanctions/775863/363 "2017-01-10T21:23:10Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > (post shortened) > > _Originally Posted by NYT > But the administration’s delayed response also resulted because Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee, had been making repeated claims about how the election was being rigged, and Mr. Obama did not want to do anything that would feed those charges, Mr. Earnest said._ > > Hahahaha. According to Earnest, Obama chose not deal with Russian interference in the U.S. election because of Donald J. Trump. _It wasn’t me, sez the Obama. Trump is responsible for the Obama choosing not to deal with Russian interference. It’s never the Obama’s fault, or the Obama’s responsibility._ And once more, the think that Obama should have done is call the FBI and CIA into his office and say, “I want this taken care of in two weeks… _or else!!!_” That was what you said you would have done, correct? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-announces-russian-sanctions/775863/364 "2017-01-10T21:51:00Z")
[Top intelligence officials indicated on Tuesday](http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/10/politics/comey-republicans-hacked-russia/index.html)that the GOP was also a Russian hacking target but that none of the information obtained was leaked. So much for the talking point that it was only the Democrats who were careless, so this is all their fault. Seems the Republicans were hacked too… but for some reason the Russians and WikiLeaks did not leak the information from this party. I wonder why that would be? ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-announces-russian-sanctions/775863/365 "2017-01-10T21:58:16Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > [Top intelligence officials indicated on Tuesday](http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/10/politics/comey-republicans-hacked-russia/index.html)that the GOP was also a Russian hacking target but that none of the information obtained was leaked. > > So much for the talking point that it was only the Democrats who were careless, so this is all their fault. > > Seems the Republicans were hacked too… but for some reason the Russians and WikiLeaks did not leak the information from this party. I wonder why that would be? From your link: “We did not develop any evidence that the Trump campaign or the current RNC was successfully hacked.” ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-announces-russian-sanctions/775863/366 "2017-01-10T22:20:43Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > From your link: “We did not develop any evidence that the Trump campaign or the current RNC was successfully hacked.” Meanwhile, CNN has allegations that Russian intelligence has tried to “compromise” Trump himself. > **[Intel chiefs presented Trump with claims of Russian efforts to compromise him...](https://www.cnn.com/2017/01/10/politics/donald-trump-intelligence-report-russia/index.html)** > > Classified documents presented last week to President Obama and President-elect Trump included allegations that Russian operatives claim to have compromising personal and financial information about Mr. Trump, multiple US officials with direct... ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-announces-russian-sanctions/775863/367 "2017-01-10T22:27:47Z")
Not “tried”. From CNN: “Classified documents presented last week to President Obama and President-elect Trump included allegations that Russian operatives\*\* claim to have compromising personal and financial information\*\* about Mr. Trump, multiple US officials with direct knowledge of the briefings tell CNN.” ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-announces-russian-sanctions/775863/368 "2017-01-10T22:30:25Z")
Imagine that a thief breaks into two homes. In the first one, he steals the mother’s jewelry box. In the second, he only manages to get a little bit of pocket change and an old, hair-covered M&M from between the coach cushions. That’s what this was like. In the DNC house, the thief got the family jewels, in the RNC house, he barely got shit. Quicksilver provided this link earlier: [http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/309915-report-russia-hacked-emails-associated-with-rnc](http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/309915-report-russia-hacked-emails-associated-with-rnc) > [@](#): > > Neither federal authorities nor RNC officials reportedly were concerned, however, because the email systems in question were outdated. RNC spokesman Sean Spicer told the network that one of the emails belonged to an employee who departed from the RNC several years ago. A cybersecurity firm hired by the RNC to investigate the issue found that the employee’s email account was still on his personal computer, but the investigation found that the device had not been linked to an RNC server in several years. > > … > > According to another official who spoke to ABC, federal authorities were not as worried about the hack on the RNC because “the extent of the compromises were completely different.” In Comey’s words today they “got far deeper and wider into the (Democratic National Committee) than the RNC.” CNN, and you, seem to desperately to want to spin this into something comparable to the Podesta & DNC hacks, but it wasn’t. It’s hardly even news, which is my guess of why they didn’t bother to leak old out-dated email from a nobody. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-announces-russian-sanctions/775863/369 "2017-01-11T16:32:03Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > And once more, the think that Obama should have done is call the FBI and CIA into his office and say, “I want this taken care of in two weeks… _or else!!!_” > > That was what you said you would have done, correct? Obama did, EVENTUALLY, get around to expelling Russian agents, after Hillary had lost her 2nd attempt to become President. Gosh darn it, why couldn’t Obama have done that sooner? Obama did EVENTUALLY sanction several Russian entities, and individuals, for their well known efforts to influence the American election. In December of 2016. Hooray for Obama. Finally. \*Obama Issues Sanctions for Alleged Russian Hacking By Mike Levine, Jack Cloherty, Meghan Keneally and John Parkinson Dec 29, 2016, 7:38 PM ET President Obama has expelled 35 Russian intelligence operatives and sanctioned five Russian entities and four individuals for an alleged cyberassault on Democratic political organizations during the 2016 presidential campaign, the White House announced today. “I have ordered a number of actions in response to the Russian government’s aggressive harassment of U.S. officials and cyber-operations aimed at the U.S. election,” Obama wrote in a statement. “These actions follow repeated private and public warnings that we have issued to the Russian government and are a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm U.S. interests in violation of established international norms of behavior.”\* > **[Obama Issues Sanctions for Alleged Russian Hacking](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/punishment-alleged-russian-hacking-expected-announced-today/story?id=44449518)** > > The administration is investigating Russian tampering. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-announces-russian-sanctions/775863/370 "2017-01-11T16:53:54Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > [Top intelligence officials indicated on Tuesday](http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/10/politics/comey-republicans-hacked-russia/index.html)that the GOP was also a Russian hacking target but that none of the information obtained was leaked. > > So much for the talking point that it was only the Democrats who were careless, so this is all their fault. > > Seems the Republicans were hacked too… but for some reason the Russians and WikiLeaks did not leak the information from this party. I wonder why that would be? From your linked article - \*FBI director James Comey told a Senate panel that there was “penetration on the Republican side of the aisle and old Republican National Committee domains” no longer in use. Republicans have previously denied their organizations were hacked. The testimony came in a Senate intelligence committee hearing that examined Russia’s intrusions in the 2016 election campaign and its intentions, with America’s top intelligence officials testifying just days after they released an unclassified report blaming Moscow for the hacks. Comey later added that “there was evidence of hacking directed at state-level organizations, state-level campaigns, and the RNC, but old domains of the RNC, meaning old emails they weren’t using. None of that was released.”\* What did Comey mean when he said, “no longer in use”, and “old emails they weren’t using”? So much for your suggestion that this talking point indicating that it was only the Democrats who were so careless, or incompetent, or stupid, that they allowed their data to be hacked is old news and should be put to rest. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-announces-russian-sanctions/775863/371 "2017-01-11T17:02:01Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Not “tried”. From CNN: > > “Classified documents presented last week to President Obama and President-elect Trump included allegations that Russian operatives\*\* claim to have compromising personal and financial information\*\* about Mr. Trump, multiple US officials with direct knowledge of the briefings tell CNN.” (underline added) “Allegations”? “Claim”? Who are these _multiple US officials with direct knowledge_? Do they have names? Chelsea Clinton? Joy Behar? Someone on Anderson Cooper’s staff? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-announces-russian-sanctions/775863/372 "2017-01-11T18:55:52Z")
anonymous sources are best sources ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-announces-russian-sanctions/775863/373 "2017-01-11T18:59:37Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > anonymous sources are best sources Anonymous sources are best sources. -anonymous source 😃 ---
**Author:** ![gopachok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@gopachok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gopachok)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-announces-russian-sanctions/775863/374 "2017-01-26T10:45:55Z")
Reading the list of sanctions, issued by Obama administration, one is reminded of British Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey, describing the ultimatum issued by Austria to Serbia on 23 July 1914 as ‘The most formidable document I have ever seen addressed by one state to another’ I mean, 6 Russian individuals have been sanctioned and told “you’ve been bad and you should be ashamed of yourselves”… Russian intelligence services themselves have also been sanctioned… Even that imbecile, St. Ronnie, wasn’t able to come up with something so brilliant… Imagine yourself, if you will, as FSB counter-intelligence operative Major Golushko, on December 29th of 2016…You stroll into the office of your boss, Colonel Semenov, and tell him of your brilliantly conceived plan to conclusively prove that the Deputy Naval Attache of The United States of America David Monero is really a cover for a CIA operative. But Colonel Golushko just looks back at you with a shocked look in his eyes and tells you that the operation will have to be postponed indefinitely, if not cancelled outright. You ask why, and he just buries his head in his hands, sobbing and weeping, before finally muttering that the whole of FSB has been sanctioned. You stand there, stunned and shocked by these news, unable to comprehend it, until you feel tears welling up in your eyes, and both you and the good Colonel now laugh uncontrollably… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-announces-russian-sanctions/775863.md?page=18)