Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

‘Putin’s chef’ admits to interfering in U.S. elections

apnews.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 275 posts

Re: ‘Putin’s chef’ admits to interfering in U.S. elections

#81

Post by legohead »

bell-cot wrote: post #4

My impression (mostly from coverage that I've seen at UnderstandingWar.org ) is that Yevgeny Prigozhin might be happy to admit to quite a few things - whether or not he'd actually done them - so long as doing so advanced his public image (hint - neither "weak" nor "pro-American") and political ambitions. Pass the salt?

This guy is known for saying ridiculous and highly sarcastic things. They also left out key parts of this specific statement:

> My answer will be delicate, sophisticated, and forgive me - ambiguous. We have interfered, are interfering and will continue to interfere. Carefully, precisely, surgically and in our own way. During our pinpoint operations, we will remove both kidneys and the liver at once.

This is pretty much non-news coming from this guy. He said it to rile up the reporter. And the US media is eating up like a bunch of fools.

Re: ‘Putin’s chef’ admits to interfering in U.S. elections

#82

Post by bpodgursky »

UncleOxidant wrote: post #76
danenania wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure why everyone assumes this. It seems like he'd have much more ability to shape the future of Russia and protect those close to him if he chooses a successor and oversees the succession. He could also ensure better conditions for himself (i.e. not being executed) in case he ends up being unable to continue ruling due to sickness/old age.

Do we have any examples of this actually happening in the Soviet times until now? He's going to be worried about the groomed successor doing him in earlier than natural death. That paranoia is what keeps them from doing what you suggest.

Yeltsin, Gorbachev, and Khrushchev all died peacefully.

Re: ‘Putin’s chef’ admits to interfering in U.S. elections

#83

Post by DFHippie »

matheusmoreira wrote: post #70
SQueeeeeL wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, everyone's so mortified when the US has been legitimately couping South American nations for a few decades. Like election interference is just an aspect of the global political chess game. America isn't immune from it just because we're "egalitarian" (which it really isn't, we have terrible health outcomes and literacy that have been spackled over by large financial success, we're essentially seeing our decline…

Recently the CIA pressured Brazil's president to accept the election results before they even happened. Even US media took issue with that.

Yes, you should say you will accept the results of an election before you know whether you will win it. This is the basis of the peaceful transfer of power. It shouldn't be hard to accept this. To accept only those elections you win is to deny the legitimacy of democratic governance altogether.

If there is evidence the election wasn't fair, you should object. But your evidence that it was unfair shouldn't be your own hurt feelings and propaganda.

Re: ‘Putin’s chef’ admits to interfering in U.S. elections

#84

Post by ethanbond »

godelski wrote: post #77

> Russian companies were charged in the U.S. with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord and dividing American public opinion This is key here and I think we should all take note because I see comments here that feed into their tactics. Their goal isn't to have a specific election winner, but to divide us as a nation (not just US but all Westerners and even countries like Japan) and creat…

No, their goal is indeed to have a specific election winner and to foment division. The IC has been quite clear that Russia had a strong preference for a Trump victory at least in 2016. [Removed a section on GOP preference for defunding Ukraine since this is not a party position, just a growing position within the party]

Everything else you've said is true though - no reason to stick our heads in the sand about their preferences or to hate our fellow Americans because an adversary picked their side (worth noting Russia has also been involved in far leftist movements in the US for quite a long time).

Re: ‘Putin’s chef’ admits to interfering in U.S. elections

#86

Post by mistermann »

legohead wrote: post #81
bell-cot wrote: post #4

My impression (mostly from coverage that I've seen at UnderstandingWar.org ) is that Yevgeny Prigozhin might be happy to admit to quite a few things - whether or not he'd actually done them - so long as doing so advanced his public image (hint - neither "weak" nor "pro-American") and political ambitions. Pass the salt?

This guy is known for saying ridiculous and highly sarcastic things. They also left out key parts of this specific statement: > My answer will be delicate, sophisticated, and forgive me - ambiguous. We have interfered, are interfering and will continue to interfere. Carefully, precisely, surgically and in our own way. During our pinpoint operations, we will remove both kidneys and the liver at once. This is pretty mu…

> And the US media is eating up like a bunch of fools.

I am truly curious whether they are genuinely this naive.

A lot of people seem to be responding as per normal to this obvious troll, and a fearful public is an easier to manage public. Public relations doesn't come cheap, so any external help is (or should be) good for the public budget.

Re: ‘Putin’s chef’ admits to interfering in U.S. elections

#87

Post by DFHippie »

matheusmoreira wrote: post #80
orm wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

After the cold war ended (last three decades), I'm not sure of any case where America has been coup'ing countries in South America. Do you know some cases?

Brazilian here. The Biden administration and the CIA openly pressured our president to accept the election results before they happened. I gotta at least wonder if they knew he was going to lose. Now there's nation-wide protests, calls for military intervention, election denialism with some rather convincing evidence, blatant censorship of anyone who's so much as asking if this is going to be investigated.

Biden, and presumably every other governmental official in every nation who truly believes in democracy, wasn't saying that Bolsonaro should step down regardless of whether he lost. They were saying he should step down if he lost. Basically, don't retain power by civil war. If the election you won legitimized your government, the election you lost legitimizes Lula's government.

Re: ‘Putin’s chef’ admits to interfering in U.S. elections

#88

Post by kibwen »

danenania wrote: post #48
starik36 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> after Putin retires He ain't retiring. The only way he is leaving the Kremlin is in a casket.

I'm not sure why everyone assumes this. It seems like he'd have much more ability to shape the future of Russia and protect those close to him if he chooses a successor and oversees the succession. He could also ensure better conditions for himself (i.e. not being executed) in case he ends up being unable to continue ruling due to sickness/old age.

If Putin were interested in either ruling from the shadows or appointing a successor then he had his chance with Medvedev. The fact that he ousted Medvedev to re-assert himself reveals that prefers to be seen as the one in charge.

Re: ‘Putin’s chef’ admits to interfering in U.S. elections

#89

Post by ethanbond »

matwood wrote: post #68
it_citizen wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Russian interference is a pretty one sided thing. If it happened, it was to Trump benefit. Such declaration will be dismissed by conservatives as Democrat narrative. And democrats will just get comforted in their position. Russia would be stupid to say anything that would help democrats. They would be much better off with a republican house and senate. I think there are smarter things to say if they wanted to muddy t…

I think you're thinking short term. I don't think Russia cares democrat or republican, they want exactly what's happening - lack of confidence in the election process. Trump benefitted because he's reading from the same playbook - push a lack of confidence in the election process. From Russia's standpoint, they can't take down the US. The US can certainly destroy itself from the inside though. If we assume the GOP is…

You think Russia has no preferences between option a) party that has been providing Ukraine with weapons systems that are demolishing their military and option b) party that has vowed to end all aid to Ukraine?

Really?

The war in Ukraine is obviously the #1 most important, most critical issue for Putin right now. It is as close to do-or-die as a dictatorial nationstate can get and the situation is getting worse by the day for Russia.

Re: ‘Putin’s chef’ admits to interfering in U.S. elections

#90

Post by rayiner »

Russia doesn’t even have to do anything achieve their goals. The credulous media will lap up even the most thinly supported theory. Is it any wonder that after the 2016 election, two thirds of Democrats believed Russia had “tampered with vote tallies in order to get Donald Trump elected President?” https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/articles-reports/20...
Post reply on HN