Throughout much of the 2016 presidential election, the Democrat Party and their liberal media allies tried to justify Hillary Clinton’s loss to Donald Trump because of supposed Russian hacking and alleged collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign.
Despite little evidence that any potential Russian involvement in the 2016 election actually impacted the results, that hasn’t stopped the left from trying to delegitimize President Trump’s victory.
Now, following National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s resignation over his failure to accurately disclose conversations he had with Russia’s ambassador regarding sanctions relief, the left has new ammunition to falsely claim that Russia colluded with Donald Trump to influence our election.
Such claims by the left are extremely weak, and new actions by Russia should dispel any rumors that Moscow teamed up with Trump’s campaign to influence the 2016 election.
According to U.S. officials, a Russian spy ship was recently spotted 70 miles off the coast of Delaware, in international waters, but unusually close to American soil.
Officials tell Fox Russian spy ship capable of intercepting communications patrolling off US East Coast -currently in international waters
— Bret Baier (@BretBaier) February 14, 2017
The ship, the SSV-175 Viktor Leonov, last sailed near the U.S. in April 2015, an official said. The ship is capable of intercepting communications or signals, known as SIGINT, as well as measuring U.S. Navy sonar capability, a separate official said.
The Russian spy ship is also armed with surface-to-air missiles. “It’s not a huge concern, but we are keeping our eyes on it,” one official said. This action by the Russian military follows recent missile test launches by Iran and North Korea.
In the past, Russian spy ships have loitered off the coast of Kings Bay, Ga., home to a U.S. Navy ballistic missile submarine base. During the Cold War, Russian intelligence gathering ships routinely parked off U.S. submarine bases along the East Coast.
In September 2015, another Russian spy ship was spotted near the U.S. outside the submarine base in Kings Bay. Outside of U.S. intelligence gathering satellites monitoring the Russian spy ship’s voyage north, there are several airborne platforms along the East Coast that could be used by the U.S. military to monitor the Russian ship, according to one official.
While it is unknown why a Russian spy ship was so close to American soil, it is not uncommon for countries with which the United States has a contentious relationship with to engage in questionable activities to test how a new administration will react. Such was the case with a missile test by North Korea last weekend, seen by many as a test by the rogue nation to judge President Trump’s reaction. The president refused to engage North Korea and instead issued a statement that pledges support for our Japanese allies without once mentioning North Korea.
How should President Trump and his administration respond to a Russian spy ship traveling extremely close to U.S. soil? Share your thoughts below!