Special counsel Robert Mueller’s new indictment of 12 Russian military intelligence officials outlines a broad Kremlin conspiracy to use sophisticated cyberattacks to manipulate America’s 2016 presidential election. President Trump’s own intelligence officials have warned that not enough is being done to prevent Russian meddling again this year.

But if you think the security of American elections is of concern to the president of the United States, think again.

While enjoying some rest and relaxation on Saturday at a private club he still owns at profits from — Turnberry in Scotland — Trump posted a tweet in which he suggested, despite all evidence to the contrary, that the hack of the DNC in 2016 was an inside job, and then another in which he blamed Obama for not doing more to stop Russian meddling.

….Where is the DNC Server, and why didn’t the FBI take possession of it? Deep State? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2018

The stories you heard about the 12 Russians yesterday took place during the Obama Administration, not the Trump Administration. Why didn’t they do something about it, especially when it was reported that President Obama was informed by the FBI in September, before the Election? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2018

There is no evidence that the theft of DNC emails — ones later published by WikiLeaks as part of a pro-Trump disinformation campaign — were the product of an inside job, as Trump’s tweet about the “DNC Server” suggests.


On the contrary, the U.S. intelligence community and even Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee have concluded that Russian hackers were responsible for stealing emails from Democratic targets — a conclusion that’s bolstered by the number of details contained in Mueller’s latest indictment, including painstaking descriptions of how the hacks were carried out.

Trump’s attack on Obama for not doing more about Russian meddling ignores that the then-Republican presidential candidate was warned that Russia might try to infiltrate his campaign in August 2016, but did nothing about it.

From CNN:

Trump was personally warned in August 2016 by senior US intelligence officials that foreign adversaries — including Russia — would likely attempt to infiltrate his team or gather intelligence about his campaign, according to sources familiar with the matter. The security briefing included information about potential interference by foreign actors, including Russia, according to sources familiar with a memo that detailed the August 2016 briefing… Trump was also told that the Russian government was trying to meddle in the election and that Russia played a direct role in hacks against the Democratic National Committee, NBC News reported in October 2016. Internal DNC emails were published by WikiLeaks about one month before Trump received the briefing.

Trump’s tweet bashing Obama also overlooks that Obama wanted to issue a bipartisan statement in the summer of 2016 detailing what the intelligence community knew about Russian meddling and offering federal help to states. But his effort was stymied by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who expressed “skepticism that the underlying intelligence truly supported the White House’s claims” about Russia interference, the Washington Post reported. McConnell ultimately blocked the release of a statement.


Shortly before receiving his August 2016 briefing about Russian interference, Trump publicly encouraged Russian hackers to go after Hillary Clinton. Mueller’s latest indictment indicates that on that same day — July 27, 2016 — Russian hackers launched unprecedented cyberattacks against Clinton’s team.

Then, in October, stolen emails published by WikiLeaks became the centerpiece of Trump’s closing message.

Wow – MSNBC put together video of every single time Trump mentioned @wikileaks during final month of the 2016 campaign. Trump mentioned stolen emails published by WikiLeaks at least 164 times in Oct. 16, but later claimed it didn't impact a single vote 🤔 https://t.co/454ObTfkWu pic.twitter.com/VCPfx6Gktb — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 13, 2018

Despite the fact that Trump mentioned WikiLeaks no fewer than 164 times during the final months of the campaign, after he won the election, Trump had the gall to claim that WikiLeaks didn’t impact a single vote.

Trump’s tweets on Saturday came the morning after the White House responded to Mueller’s latest indictment with a statement that expressed no concern about Russian election interference, but instead sought to emphasize the president’s purported innocence.


And despite the new information about Russian President Vladimir Putin orchestrating a conspiracy to undermine American elections, Trump — who is under criminal investigation for colluding with Putin — refused to cancel his upcoming summit with the Russian strongman. Not only that, but Trump still plans to meet alone with Putin when the two leaders get together in Helsinki on Monday.