Russian intelligence services have attempted to sow division in the United States ahead of the 2020 election by fueling racial division, including by influencing extremist groups, American officials told The New York Times.
The Russian government’s methods to divide Americans are broader than what the country used 2016, the Times reported, citing multiple unnamed American officials briefed on recent intelligence.
In 2016, Russian activity was meant to reach a wide number of Americans and included spreading disinformation to suppress voter turnout and creating fake Black Lives Matter Facebook pages.
In 2020, things have changed, per the Times. Efforts reportedly include pushing extremist groups to spread hate messages and inciting violence. Unlike in 2016, unnamed intelligence officials told the Times, Russian operatives have taken to using private Facebook groups and message boards like 4chan.
Per the Times, Russian intelligence services observed the fallout of the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia — which ended with the white supremacist James Fields Jr. murdering counter-protester Heather Heyer — and determined that promoting hate groups would effectively sow discord in the United States.
One specific interest of the FBI’s, per The Times, is the founder of the neo-Nazi group The Base, which has been rocked by a string of arrests in recent months.
The Guardian and BBC identified Rinaldo Nazzaro as the previously anonymous founder of the violent neo-Nazi group in January, reporting that he was living in Russia and that he had previously advertised his services as an intelligence and security expert. Four Base members told the Guardian they were suspicious that Nazzaro was really a law enforcement agent or “honeypot” meant to lure neo-Nazis out into the open, and Times reported that the FBI is looking for potential ties between Russian intelligence and Nazzaro.
Specifically, the Times reported that the FBI has zeroed in on Nazzaro’s purchase of property in Washington State in 2018, which the anti-fascist group Eugene Antifa said in August was meant as a training “hate camp.”
Base members across the country have been arrested in recent months, including in Virginia, Wisconsin and Georgia. The three members charged in Georgia were accused of plotting the murder of a local anti-fascist couple.
i.e. the GOP.
Makes sense, as these are the most virulent Trump supporters, and the ones who will be most angered by the thought of Trump losing. Three of these type planned a bombing for after the 2016 election (fortunately they were caught). If it’s going badly for Trump, these are the ones who will descend into violence and abusive behavior to try to keep him from losing…they are the ones that see this as a war for the future of the nation.
One thing is for certain: the Government Of Putin will have some new tricks to try to throw the election to the Russpublicans.
I’m convinced their better game would be to construct ghost liberal groups, who will “brag” online the day after the election about all the illegal voting stuff they did. Sow the sense of a stolen election, and then watch as Trump buys all-in and refuses to leave the office, citing these posts. And watch McConnel refuse to hand over the gavel. Gunna be a crisis beyond all crises.
It might dawn in Putin that in America the use of violence tends to backfire.
Further, if Trump were to try any such thing the citizenry would take him away with a butterfly net.