Hacked

Since March, Russian intelligence operatives have hacked into critically important US computer systems, include many run by the American government. When it was first made public this month, his has repeatedly been described as the most serious breech in intelligence history.

Wired magazine has published a comprehensive series of articles about the hack (link here). US government officials, including the Secretary of State and top intelligence personnel, have all identified Russian intelligence as the culprit.

After days of silence on this unfolding crisis, Donald Trump is now trying to blame China and says Russia was not involved (details here). He offers no evidence. He doesn't even know how to operate a laptop or desktop or tablet so he's hardly a computer expert.

US intelligence officials immediately contradicted him behind his back. Security specialists say there's no evidence China was involved and enormous evidence Russian intelligence was responsible.

There have been repeated claims that Trump was long ago compromised by Russia and is a real-life equivalent of the Manchurian Candidate. Such assertions nonetheless seem like something from a novel or movie and not the real world.

But when Trump repeatedly takes Russia's side in matters like this, and contradicts the American government, and bends over backwards to give Russia the benefit of the doubt, time after time after time without exception, wondering if he really is Moscow's puppet seems not so far fetched after all.

Of course, Trump will do nothing about this mess. It will be left to President-elect Joe Biden's administration to sort it all out. Meanwhile, America's computer networks remain compromised.