WASHINGTON, DC, Oct 17 — Russia’s nuclear threat is cause for concern, but the certainty of Mutually Assured Destruction [MAD] is likely to keep them at bay. After all, it seems that the rogue super-power is already attacking us from within using American-based leftist crews. It may not have gotten widespread media coverage, but the Department of Justice [DOJ] recently indicted Aleksander Viktorovich Ionov, an intelligence operative of Russia, for using American political groups “to sow discord, spread pro-Russian propaganda, and interfere in elections within the United States.”
A DOJ news release noted that “Ionov—working under the supervision of the FSB [Russia’s Federal Security Services] and with the Russian government’s support—recruited political groups within the United States, including U.S. Political Group 1 in Florida, U.S. Political Group 2 in Georgia, and U.S. Political Group 3 in California, and exercised direction or control over them on behalf of the FSB.” All three of these groups identify as leftist organizations. According to The Epoch Times, Group 1 is the Florida-based African People’s Socialist Party, Group 2 is the Atlanta-based Black Hammer Party, and Group 3 is the Yes California secessionist organization, all having ties to Russia.
According to the Epoch Times, a report published by the Rutgers University’s Miller Center for Community Protection and Resilience identified movements such as these and other “Anarcho-socialist militias which explicitly glorify Martyr narratives, classic authoritarian narratives, and revolutionary narratives are now formally organizing—and are growing.”
Meanwhile, whether wittingly or unwittingly, President Biden seemed to have an affinity with these “anarcho-socialists” in his September speech in Philadelphia when he appeared to be calling out the Republican Party for alleged “semi-fascist” intentions, declaring “the Republican Party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans. And that is a threat to this country.”
Biden’s rhetoric was so over-the-top that even the left-leaning Washington Post objected. Its Editorial Board published a disclaimer, noting that: “It is a depressing reflection of the dangerous political situation in which the nation finds itself that President Biden felt compelled to deliver a prime-time address decrying political violence and election denialism and calling on Americans ‘to unite behind the single purpose of defending our democracy.’”
The president’s diatribe was so excessive that the day after his speech he had to walk it back. He told reporters “Come on, look, guys, you keep trying to make that case. I don’t consider any Trump supporter to be a threat to the country.”
Our elections are being targeted not just from elements within the country. CNN reports that U.S. agencies have been holding “classified briefings” to warn election authorities throughout the country to beware of foreign threats to influence the midterm elections. It cites U.S. intelligence officials who say it is not just Russia who seeks to interfere with our elections but China and other foreign operatives have their own agendas. “A range of foreign governments have shown more of an interest in shaping U.S. public opinion or spreading disinformation in advance of U.S. elections,” according to the online news site.
Election security advisor Larry Norden at the Brennan Center for Justice says voters should take precautions. He told the Associated Press that “If they are seeing messages about candidates presented in an alarmist or emotionally charged way, their radar should be going up. They should be checking the accuracy of claims, and if they are seeing false claims, they should be letting the social media companies know.”