Former FBI assistant director Frank Figliuzzi appeared on The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell last night in the wake of The New York Times’ bombshell report about Russia’s successful hack of Burisma, the company at the center of Donald Trump’s Ukraine scandal.

For Figliuzzi, the big takeaway from the story is Russia’s brazenness and open scorn toward of the U.S. just four years after it was caught redhanded interfering in our elections and helping to throw the contest to Comrade Donald Trump.

x TheyÃ¢ÂÂve done it again. IÃ¢ÂÂll explain tonight during the 10p ET hour. Russians Hacked Ukrainian Gas Company at Center of Impeachment – The New York Times Ã¢ÂÂ¦@MSNBCÃ¢ÂÂ© Ã¢ÂÂ¦@TheLastWordÃ¢ÂÂ© Ã¢ÂÂ¦Ã¢ÂÂ¦@LawrenceÃ¢ÂÂ© https://t.co/eNutHWJs3O— Frank Figliuzzi (@FrankFigliuzzi1) January 14, 2020

Here was Figliuzzi’s take:

FIGLIUZZI: “Make no mistake, this is a full-on attack on our 2020 elections. This should surprise no one. We were told this was going to happen, and it’s playing out. And let me expand on something the congressman said about the Russia intention of sowing discord and sending a message. The message here is that they can do this at will, and they don’t expect any pushback or sanctions because of it. Why am I saying that? They used the same technique, the same signature as they did in 2016. If they wanted to pretend to be the Iranians or the North Koreans, or as the president says a 400-pound guy sitting in his bed, they could have easily done that. But instead, they used the same Russian signature, easily attributed to the GRU, and that’s telling us, ‘We’re in charge, you are not.’”

In other words, Vladimir Putin knows his puppet strings are titanium, and there’s not a chance Moscow Mitch will lift a finger to roust Russia’s useful idiot. They’re straight-up taunting us.

This is a shot across our bow, and instead of responding in kind, it looks like we’re going to paint fluorescent yellow targets on the bridge.

Unfortunately, the holder of the highest office in the land is nothing but soft underbelly — both figuratively and literally. As long as Trump remains president — and this latest attack proves Russia wants to keep its asset in place for at least another four years — Putin might as well have a seat on the U.S. National Security Council. (Then again, how do we know he doesn’t? It would be easy to Skype him in — or have him show up via hologram like Emperor Palpatine.)

Oh how nice to know Russia will pull out all the stops again to reinstall its vassal ruler. How depressing that there’s no one on our side willing or able to stop it.

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