I respectfully request that the media stop using the relatively innocuous term “meddling” when referring to Russia’s actions in 2016. We tend to call it “meddling” when parents, in-laws, neighbors, etc., interfere in our private business. It’s not nice! We wish they wouldn’t.
What happened in 2016 wasn’t just meddling. It was an attack—a cyberattack! The heads of our intelligence services have been clear about what occurred. The Russian government stole information from our citizens and weaponized it to promote confusion and to help Donald Trump’s campaign. They created outrageously false information about Hillary Clinton and shot hundreds of thousands of social media misinformation bullets to specific targets in the United States. According to special counsel Robert Mueller’s newest criminal indictment, the indicted Russians called these actions “information warfare against the United States of America.”
I believe the inadequate descriptor “meddling” may be contributing to the tepid response of millions of Americans who, so far, have not been totally outraged by our commander in chief’s continued refusal to fully acknowledge the attacks, his refusal to enforce sanctions that were overwhelmingly approved by Congress (and signed by him), and his concomitant lack of action to defend our country against further attacks.
Words matter! “Meddling” gets a rap on the knuckles. “Cyberattacks” and “information warfare” convey the severity and intent of Russia’s actions—actions that must be acknowledged and stopped, using appropriate countermeasures.
THEKLA FALL
Shadyside
Note from KBJ: There would be no talk about Russian meddling—none!—if Hillary Clinton had been elected. What does that tell you? It tells me that this is all about (1) explaining why Hillary lost and (2) delegitimizing Donald Trump.
