Barack Obama’s former National Security Advisor Susan Rice reportedly issued a ‘stand down’ order to officials developing plans to respond to Russian election meddling attempts in 2016.
An excerpt from the book, Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin’s War on America and the Election of Donald Trump, set to be released on March 13, reveals that National Security Council (NSC) officials were trying to develop an aggressive response to Russia’s attempts to interfere in an American election.
You know, the same meddling they want you to believe is the equivalent to Pearl Harbor and 9/11.
Rice, however, gave those trying to punish Russia strict orders to “stand down” and “knock it off.”
Internally, NSC staffers were debating how forcefully to respond to Russia’s influence, something CIA Director John Brennan warned would happen.
Mother Jones reports, “It was a debate that would culminate that summer with a dramatic directive from President Barack Obama’s national security adviser to the NSC staffers developing aggressive proposals to strike back against the Russians: ‘Stand down.'”
Report: Susan Rice gave ‘stand down’ order to US intel while Russians were attempting to meddle in election https://t.co/RNKIv7F5DR pic.twitter.com/6EAXs7tTdY
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) March 9, 2018
NSC officials were furious.
“Why the hell are we standing down?” asked Daniel Prieto, a top deputy to White House director of cybersecurity, Michael Daniel.
“Michael, can you help us understand?”
“It was a critical moment that, as Prieto saw it, scuttled the chance for a forceful immediate response to the Russian hack—and keenly disappointed the NSC aides who had been developing the options,” the bombshell report indicates. “They were convinced that the president and his top aides didn’t get the stakes.”
HOLY GUACAMOLE: So the Russian attempts to meddle in the 2016 election? Turns out Obama admin. officially issued a “STAND DOWN” order on nat sec attempts to retaliate on Russia, per MOTHER JONES Yahoohttps://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/03/why-the-hell-are-we-standing-down/ pic.twitter.com/ikVZ2UyvCC
— Christian Datoc (@TocRadio) March 9, 2018
The latest revelations put a serious damper on officials from the Obama Administration trying to blame Republicans for the week response to Russian meddling.
Former Obama Chief of Staff Denis McDonough claimed days ago that the response had been watered down at the insistence of GOP leader Mitch McConnell.
He claimed McConnell was solely responsible for weak language in a statement to election officials in 2016.
Mr. McDonough, you lie.
As per usual, President Trump’s claims that Obama didn’t do enough to thwart election tampering by the Russians have seemingly turned out to be accurate.
Obama was President up to, and beyond, the 2016 Election. So why didn’t he do something about Russian meddling?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 19, 2018
A former senior Obama official admitted as much this past June.
“It is the hardest thing about my entire time in government to defend,” the official, who was involved in White House deliberations on Russia told the Washington Post. “I feel like we sort of choked.”
When the Democrats insist that Hillary Clinton’s embarrassing loss in 2016 was due to Russian interference, they have nobody to blame but themselves.
Is the Obama Administration to blame for Russian interference in the 2016 election? Share your thoughts below!
