PITTSBURGH, PA – NOVEMBER 04: John Podesta, campaign chairman for Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, looks on during a campaign rally at The Great Hall at Heinz Field on November 4, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
John Podesta, the former chairman for Hillary for America, was interviewed by Tech Crunch about the election, and specifically the hacking of his Gmail account and the emails of the Democratic National Committee shortly before the election in November. The emails from the DNC and Podesta were then posted on WikiLeaks. US intelligence agencies traced the hacking back to Russia, and the hack was one of the issues that plagued the Clinton campaign in the weeks leading up to the election.
In the interview, Podesta spoke about the hacking and the failure of the FBI to properly investigate. “I think to this day it’s inexplicable that they were so casual about the investigation of the Russian penetration of the DNC emails. They didn’t even bother to send an agent to the DNC; they left a couple of messages at the IT help desk saying, ‘You might want to be careful.’ There are at least forces within the FBI that wanted her to lose,” he said. Podesta also discusses the failures of the campaign and the rise of fake news. Read the full interview HERE. Follow Podesta on Twitter @johnpodesta.
Late last week, the intelligence community released their report following an investigation into the alleged influence of the 2016 election by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Intelligence agencies. The report is a declassified version of a much more detailed report which concluded that Putin “ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the U.S. presidential election.” It went on to say that Putin’s motives were to “denigrate” Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and that he had “a clear preference for President-elect Trump.” The report details the reasons Putin does not like Clinton and outlines the ways the Russian government influenced the election including the hacking of John Podesta and the DNC, leaks to WikiLeaks, and hacking the RNC. Read the full report below or download a PDF copy HERE.
The chairman of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, John Podesta, published an op-ed in The Washington Post criticizing the FBI for its handling of Clinton’s email investigation and the hacking of his emails as well as the emails of the Democratic National Committee. Read Podesta’s full op-ed below:
Something is deeply broken at the FBI By: John Podesta December 15, 2016
The more we learn about the Russian plot to sabotage Hillary Clinton’s campaign and elect Donald Trump, and the failure of the FBI to adequately respond, the more shocking it gets. The former acting director of the CIA has called the Russian cyberattack “the political equivalent of 9/11.” Just as after the real 9/11, we need a robust, independent investigation into what went wrong inside the government and how to better protect our country in the future.
As the former chair of the Clinton campaign and a direct target of Russian hacking, I understand just how serious this is. So I was surprised to read in the New York Times that when the FBI discovered the Russian attack in September 2015, it failed to send even a single agent to warn senior Democratic National Committee officials. Instead, messages were left with the DNC IT “help desk.” As a former head of the FBI cyber division told the Times, this is a baffling decision: “We are not talking about an office that is in the middle of the woods of Montana.”
What takes this from baffling to downright infuriating is that at nearly the exact same time that no one at the FBI could be bothered to drive 10 minutes to raise the alarm at DNC headquarters, two agents accompanied by attorneys from the Justice Department were in Denver visiting a tech firm that had helped maintain Clinton’s email server.
This trip was part of what FBI Director James B. Comey described as a “painstaking” investigation of Clinton’s emails, “requiring thousands of hours of effort” from dozens of agents who conducted at least 80 interviews and reviewed thousands of pages of documents. Of course, as Comey himself concluded, in the end, there was no case; it was not even a close call.
Comparing the FBI’s massive response to the overblown email scandal with the seemingly lackadaisical response to the very real Russian plot to subvert a national election shows that something is deeply broken at the FBI.
Comey justified his handling of the email case by citing “intense public interest.” He felt so strongly that he broke long-established precedent and disregarded strong guidance from the Justice Department with his infamous letter just 11 days before the election. Yet he refused to join the rest of the intelligence community in a statement about the Russian cyberattack because he reportedly didn’t want to appear “political.” And both before and after the election, the FBI has refused to say whether it is investigating Trump’s ties to Russia.
Meanwhile, House Republicans who had an insatiable appetite for investigating Clinton have been resistant to probing deeply into Russia’s efforts to swing the election to Trump. The media, by gleefully publishing the gossipy fruits of Russian hacks, became what the Times itself calls “a de facto instrument of Russian intelligence.”
But the FBI’s role is particularly troubling because of its power and responsibility — and because this is part of a trend. The Justice Department’s Inspector General issued a damning report this summer about the FBI’s failure to prioritize cyberthreats more broadly.
The election is over and the damage is done, but the threat from Russia and other potential aggressors remains urgent and demands a serious and sustained response.
First, the Obama administration should quickly declassify as much as possible concerning what is known about the Russian hack, as requested by seven Democratic members of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Second, the administration should brief members of the electoral college on the extent and manner of Russia’s interference in our election before they vote on Dec. 19, as requested by a bipartisan group of electors.
Third, Congress should authorize a far-reaching, bipartisan independent investigation modeled on the 9/11 Commission. The public deserves to know exactly what happened, why and what can be done to prevent future attacks. Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) have introduced legislation to authorize such an investigation.
Finally, Congress should more vigorously exercise its oversight to determine why the FBI responded overzealously in the Clinton case and insufficiently in the Russian case. The FBI should also clarify whether there is an ongoing investigation into Trump, his associates and their ties to Russia. If ever there were a case of “intense public interest,” this is it. What’s broken in the FBI must be fixed and quickly.
A bipartisan group of electors from the Electoral College have asked for an intelligence briefing following revelations from the CIA that Russia may have influenced the election. In a letter to James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, the electors expressed their concern and asked that all of the electors be briefed by the intelligence community before they cast their ballots later this month. The chairman of Hillary Clinton’s campaign, John Podesta, said that he and the campaign supports the electors being briefed. In a statement, he said, “The bipartisan electors’ letter raises very grave issues involving our national security. Electors have a solemn responsibility under the Constitution and we support their efforts to have their questions addressed. Each day that month, our campaign decried the interference of Russia in our campaign and its evident goal of hurting our campaign to aid Donald Trump. Despite our protestations, this matter did not receive the attention it deserved by the media in the campaign. We now know that the CIA has determined Russia’s interference in our elections was for the purpose of electing Donald Trump. This should distress every American.”
Americans deserve a president who’s ready on Day One to keep us safe. As a former Secretary of State and senator, Hillary Clinton brings vast experience to the Oval Office, having dealt with the key issues facing Americans around the world for decades. Traveling nearly a million miles as America’s top diplomat, Hillary has handled issues ranging from nuclear proliferation to military readiness, from women’s rights to climate change, and is ready to lead from day one.
Donald Trump, on the other hand, has proven himself again and again to be temperamentally unfit and totally unqualified to be President and Commander-in-Chief.
Beyond his lack of understanding of foreign policy and unwillingness to learn, Donald Trump is a loose cannon with dangerous views on major global issues. Trump would encourage the spread of nuclear weapons around the world, has insulted our allies and praised several authoritarian dictators. He even encouraged a foreign government to hack Americans, and since then has refused to acknowledge the U.S. Intelligence community’s conclusion that the Russian government has done just that.
Americans deserve a president who understands the challenging world in which we live, not one who is too erratic and uninformed to have control of nuclear weapons.
Throughout his career, and throughout this campaign, on subject after subject, Trump has proven he is unfit to be commander-in-chief. As we begin the final week of the presidential campaign, here is a look back at Trump’s dangerous record on matters of defense and foreign policy:
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
On nuclear weapons, Donald Trump has displayed a reckless disregard for fact and fails to understand the dangers of nuclear proliferation. Simply put, he doesn’t have the temperament to be trusted with the nuclear codes.
On the prospect of nuclear war in Asia, Trump said, “good luck, enjoy yourself folks.”
Trump’s rhetoric pushed dozens former nuclear launch officers to sign a letter saying Trump “should not have his finger on the button.”
U.S. MILITARY AND VETERANS
Trump has repeatedly insulted our military, our veterans and their families. He has been disrespecting our veterans for decades, continually proving he’s unqualified and temperamentally unfit to be commander-in-chief.
Trump attempted to kick disabled veterans off of Fifth Avenue over two decades, calling the situation “deplorable.”
U.S. INTELLIGENCE
Trump has disparaged the U.S. intelligence community – not only rejecting their conclusions, but questioning their motives.
When asked whether he trusts intelligence, Trump said “not so much.”
Trump invited a foreign government to commit cyber espionage in the U.S.
Trump maintains that we don’t know if Russia is behind recent hacks, despite being personally briefed by Republican Representative Michael McCaul, Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security.
Trump called the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia was behind that hack was “public relations, frankly” and repeatedly denied their conclusion.
Trump has been accused by a former acting CIA director of being “an unwitting agent of Putin.”
AMERICA’S ALLIES
For decades, America has held strong alliances across the world – including those with NATO countries. NATO has stood with the United States, for example, invoking Article 5 after 9/11 and collaborating to fight the war on terror today. But on the campaign trail, Donald Trump has outlined plans to cut off America’s allies.
Trump accused NATO countries of ripping off the United States, saying “either they have to pay up… or they have to get out. And if it breaks up NATO, it breaks up NATO.”
Trump said NATO “may be obsolete” and “doesn’t really help us.”
Trump has extendedhis threats past NATO to countries like Japan and South Korea.
FOREIGN DICTATORS
Donald Trump seems to have an admiration for dictators from across the world. From Vladimir Putin to Saddam Hussein and beyond, Trump has repeatedly complimented foreign leaders known for their records of oppression and abuse..
Trump said North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un deserves “credit” for taking out his rivals and has “got to be pretty smart.”
Trump gave Saddam Hussein unduecredit, saying “he did one thing well, he killed terrorists.”
Trump believes that, during the Tiananmen Square massacre, the Chinese government showed “strength.”
Trump thinks Vladimir Putin is a better leader than President Obama, “saying in terms of leadership, he’s getting an A and our president is not doing so well.” (But of course, his praise for Putin doesn’t stop there.)
FOREIGN BUSINESS ENTANGLEMENTS
Trump’s extensive foreign dealings would present significant conflicts of interest and endanger our national security. Trump refuses to disclose the full extent of his foreign business entanglements – but without knowing the details of them, how will Americans know whose interests Trump is putting first? What we do know is concerning.
Trump admitted that if his business interests were threatened by another country’s government, he would retaliate with the power of the US government.
Trump has a record of business dealings with foreign governments – including Iran and China that we don’t know the extent of.
Trump has also had numerous foreign business partners we don’t know much about – including one that is allegedly linked to an international money laundering network.
Trump’s foreign entanglements would poseunprecedentedchallenges for U.S. foreign policy and national security.
ISIS
Despite Trump’s claims that he has a “secret” plan to defeat ISIS, he has no real plan at all. And his rhetoric is dangerously playing into terrorists’ hands.
Trump would “ask [his] generals” – the very same generals he believes he knows more than – for a plan to defeat ISIS, since he doesn’t currently have any plan at all.
Trump would continue to promote Russia’s brutal bombing campaign in Syria that is targeting civilians instead of ISIS.
Trump has suggested he would allow Syria to become a “free zone for ISIS.”
Trump would ban Muslims from entering the U.S., a policy that feeds radical jihadist propaganda.
Donald Trump’s approach to Iran is devoid of any substance. He has prefered to denigrate American leaders and spew lies when it comes to Iran — though he was willing to deal with Iran when it made him money.
Trump has peddled falsehoods about Iran’s ability to pursue a nuclear weapon.
Trump has been exposed as a lessor to Iranian bank linked to terrorism.
NORTH KOREA
Trump doesn’t understand the threat North Korea poses. On the campaign trail, Trump has taken positions that would endanger the security of the United States and our allies and embolden North Korea.
Trump would meet with Kim Jong-Un, despite his continued violations of international obligations to abandon his nuclear and missile programs.
Trump would open to door to nuclear proliferation in the region. When asked whether it’s “fine” for Japan and South Korea to get nuclear weapons, Trump said, “Can I be honest with you? It’s going to happen anyway.”
While Clinton has stood up to Russia, Trump panders to Putin. He has voiced support for policies and positions that align exactly with the Kremlin’s interests.
Ahead of the GOP convention, Trump’s campaign bucked fellow Republicans by maneuvering to ensure the party platform no longer calls for arming the Ukrainians, and then lied about it.
Trump announced he would meet with Putin prior to the start of his administration, if elected president.
SYRIA
To date, Donald Trump has not laid out any real plans with respect to Syria or offered any indication that he takes the conflict and humanitarian disaster seriously.
Trump raised the possibility of sending 20,000 – 30,000 U.S. ground troops to Syria and Iraq.
Trump praised and encouraged Russia’s brutal bombing campaign in Syria, despite the climbing total civilian casualties and attacks on U.S.-backed forces.
Hillary for America Senior Policy Advisor Jake Sullivan released the following statement today after news reports by Esquire and Motherboard confirmed for the first time publicly that Russia is behind the hack of John Podesta’s emails. Also, according to Esquire, Guccifer told journalists that he gave the DNC emails to WikiLeaks:
“The new public data confirming the Russians are behind the hack of John Podesta’s email is a big deal. There is no longer any doubt that Putin is trying to help Donald Trump by weaponizing WikiLeaks. Despite all the evidence, including the conclusions of the US intelligence community, Donald Trump went on the debate stage and acted as Putin’s puppet, defending Russia and refusing to admit and condemn the Kremlin’s actions. This behavior has gone from bizarre to disqualifying. In light of his associate’s admitted ‘back-channeling’ with Assange, and Trump’s own undisclosed business ties with Russia, it’s time for Trump to tell the American people what he knew about these hacks and when he knew it.”
“In the weeks that followed, Guccifer offered interviews and batches of documents to several journalists, but he wrote that “the main part of the papers, thousands of files and mails, I gave to WikiLeaks.”
“So far U. S. investigators have not said publicly who was responsible for the Podesta hack, but the data harvested by SecureWorks makes it clear that Fancy Bear broke into the Clinton chairman’s account as early as late March. The CIA briefed Trump about the origin of the kompromat, but he continued to cite the material, telling a Pennsylvania crowd, “I love WikiLeaks!”
Months later, on October 9, WikiLeaks began publishing thousands of Podesta’s hacked emails. Almost everyone immediately pointed the finger at Russia, who is suspected of being behind a long and sophisticated hacking campaign that has the apparent goal of influencing the upcoming US elections. But there was no public evidence proving the same group that targeted the Democratic National Committee was behind the hack on Podesta—until now.
The data linking a group of Russian hackers—known as Fancy Bear, APT28, or Sofacy—to the hack on Podesta is also yet another piece in a growing heap of evidence pointing toward the Kremlin. And it also shows a clear thread between apparently separate and independent leaks that have appeared on a website called DC Leaks, such as that of Colin Powell’s emails; and the Podesta leak, which was publicized on WikiLeaks.
Six Key Developments Today On Trump, WikiLeaks, And Russia
Esquire published a deep dive on the full extent of Russia’s unprecedented hacking campaign to influence the U.S. election, including new details about the operation.
Motherboard confirmed that government-backed Russian hackers were behind the cyberattack on John Podesta’s emails, publicly detailing new, undeniable evidence.
Politico documented Trump’s haunting propensity for defending Putin’s crimes. Beyond the cyberattacks, Trump defended Putin in the killing of journalists, the assassination of a former Russian spy, and the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17.
Dallas Morning News reported that Trump had been personally briefed by House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul that Russia was behind these cyberattacks before he debate, in which he again denied their culpability.
Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said on MSNBC this morning that she was completely comfortable with the campaign exploiting documents that were stolen by Russian agents.
Former director of the NSA and CIA, Michael Hayden, told NBC News: “[Trump] reject[ed] a high confidence judgment from the American intelligence community that the Russians are breaking in to DNC emails. That’s troubling on two counts. First, what will it take for him to criticize Russia? And second, here is a man who would be president, rejecting an intelligence judgment because it is politically inconvenient.”
Hillary Clinton’s Strong, Steady Approach to Global Challenges vs. Trump’s Dangerously Unserious Approach
The fifth topic on deck for this evening’s debate will address global challenges. Hillary Clinton’s steady leadership has made America stronger and safer on the world stage. As First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State, she has worked tirelessly to keep Americans safe and stay true to our values. Conversely, Donald Trump’s dangerous national security proposals, lack of understanding of geopolitical realities, and reckless foreign policy rhetoric have been apparent throughout the campaign.
Hillary Clinton has laid out a comprehensive plan to defeat ISIS and keep Americans safe at home. She understands that it’s not enough just to take out specific groups or leaders – we must have a comprehensive strategy to win the long game against the global terrorist network and its ideology. Former military leaders and top national security officials agree: Hillary is the right choice.
Protect our homeland, including by surging our intelligence to ensure law enforcement has the information they need to detect and disrupt plots.
Work with Silicon Valley to shut down terrorist propaganda and disrupt their recruitment efforts online.
Keep guns out of the hands of suspected terrorists.
Work with our allies to dismantle the global network that supplies money, arms, propaganda and fighters to the terrorists.
Choke off the networks that facilitate their growth and expansion.
Focus on eliminating the leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Take out ISIS’s strongholds in the Middle East by intensifying the coalition air campaign, supporting our partners on the ground, and pursuing diplomacy to end Syria’s civil war and close Iraq’s sectarian divide, because those conflicts are keeping ISIS alive.
Stand with our allies, rather than abandoning them.
Despite Trump’s claims that he has a “secret” plan to defeat ISIS, he has no real plan at all. And his rhetoric is dangerously playing into terrorists’ hands.
Hillary for America Chair John Podesta released the following statement after the Wall Street Journal reported today that the Federal Bureau of Investigation believes Russian intelligence agencies are behind the illegal hack of his personal email account:
“It is now clear that the illegal hack of my personal email account was — just like the other recent, election-related hacks — the work of the Russian government. This level of meddling by a foreign power can only be aimed at boosting Donald Trump and should send chills down the spine of all Americans, regardless of political party. Despite receiving an intelligence briefing on the Russians’ role in masterminding these hacks, Donald Trump continues to side with the Russians by publicly denying their involvement and even cheering on further intrusions. Worst of all, the growing number of links between Trump’s associates, Wikileaks and the Russian government raises troubling questions about the possibility that Trump’s allies had advance knowledge of the release of these illegally obtained emails. I intend to continue cooperating with the FBI investigation of these illegal hacks, and expect that federal investigators will follow the evidence in this case whether it leads — from Moscow to, potentially, back here in the United States.”
Following recent reports of Donald Trump campaign aide Carter Page’s ties to Russia and the Kremlin, Hillary for America senior national spokesperson Glen Caplin released the following statement:
“It’s chilling to learn that U.S. intelligence officials are conducting a probe into suspected meetings between Trump’s foreign policy adviser Carter Page and members of Putin’s inner circle while in Moscow. You have to ask why he would meet with Igor Diveykin, who is believed by U.S. officials ‘to have responsibility for intelligence collected by Russian agencies about the U.S. election.’ This comes as Russian hackers continue their attempts to influence the outcome of our elections, something Trump openly invited. This is serious business and voters deserve the facts before election day.
Just one day after we learned about Trump’s hundreds of millions of dollars in undisclosed Russian business interests, this report suggests Page met with a sanctioned top Russian official to discuss the possibility of ending U.S. sanctions against Russia under a Trump presidency – an action that could directly enrich both Trump and Page while undermining American interests. This is precisely what more than fifty national security experts warned against when they called on Trump to disclose and divest his conflict-laden foreign assets that could endanger our national security.
We’ve never seen anything like this in American politics. Every day seems to cast new doubts on what’s truly driving Donald Trump’s decision-making: the interests of the American people or his own bottom line. He needs to immediately disclose the full extent of his business relationships and foreign assets so the voters can make that determination for themselves.”
On Friday, Hillary Clinton convened a group of bipartisan National Security experts to discuss a number of global issues. The key focus of the group’s discussion was defeating ISIS and combating terrorism. Following the meeting, Clinton held a press briefing during which she spoke about the importance of Republicans and Democrats working together on issues of national security. She also criticized Donald Trump saying that the experts she has spoken with are “chilled” by what Trump has said and proposed. A video of Clinton’s remarks is below as is a release from Hillary for America about the meeting, including list of those who attended.
Hillary Clinton today brought together a bipartisan group of distinguished national security officials to discuss the challenges our next commander-in-chief will face. Today’s conversation, which focused largely on defeating ISIS and the global network of terrorism, gave Clinton the opportunity to discuss these crucial issues with a wide range of experts with different background and diverse perspectives – something she has always been deeply committed to and will continue to seek as president.
Clinton said, “We won’t always see eye to eye, but when it comes to questions of war, peace and the safety of our country, we can’t let party affiliations stand between us. We need to put partisanship aside and work together for the good of all of us. I know we can do it. I have seen it happen under both Republican and Democratic presidents. That will be my goal if I am elected this fall.”
…
Clinton added, “National security experts on both sides of the aisle are chilled by what they’re hearing from the Republican nominee. That may be the number one reason why this election is the most important in our lifetime. So I’m not waiting until November, I’m bringing Democrats and Republicans together now because I plan to get right down to work on Day One. The stakes are too high, and the issues too serious for anything less than that level of preparedness. Americans should be able to count on their president and Commander-in-Chief to provide rational, confident and even keeled leadership, especially in tumultuous times like these so I’m very grateful to the men and women that I met with today — experts with a broad range of understanding and willingness to share their insights– and I look forward to receiving their advice in the days and weeks ahead.”
Today’s conversation included a wide range of experts, including nonpartisan military leaders as well as top national security officials who served under both Democratic and Republican administrations.
Working Session Participants:
General John Allen, USMC (ret.), former Special Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS, former Commander of the International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces Afghanistan (via videoconference)
Rand Beers, former Deputy Homeland Security Advisor and former Acting Secretary of Homeland Security
Daniel Benjamin, Former Ambassador-at-large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the U.S. Department of State
Ambassador Reuben Brigety, Former U.S. Ambassador to the AU, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
Secretary Michael Chertoff, former Secretary of Homeland Security
Richard Fontaine, former foreign policy advisor to Senator John McCain
Chris Fussell, former Aide-de-Camp to then-Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal at the Joint Special Operations Command, former Navy Seal
Kathleen Hicks, former Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Forces
Juliette Kayyem, former Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security
Michael Morell, former Acting Director and Deputy Director of the CIA
Secretary Janet Napolitano, former Secretary of Homeland Security (via videoconference)
Matt Olsen, former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)
General David Petraeus, USA (ret.), former Director of the CIA, former Commander of the International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces Afghanistan (via videoconference)
Admiral James Stavridis, USN (ret.), former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO (via videoconference)
Vikram Singh, Former Deputy Assistant secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia
Michael Vickers, former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence
This morning, the campaign also rolled out an updated list of 110 retired generals and admirals who have endorsed Hillary Clinton as the only candidate in this race prepared to be commander-in-chief, 15 of whom came out in the 48 hours after the Commander-In-Chief Forum.
Clinton is honored by the overwhelming support of those who have served our country and looks forward to continuing these important national security discussions with bipartisan leaders in the coming months. In a new Hillary for America television ad released today, Hillary Clinton makes the case that the “Only Way” we solve problems is bringing people together like she did today.
Hillary Clinton Speeches 