Ash writes: "The Intercept was live with a 2000-plus-word analysis and rebuttal of the dossier by Glenn Greenwald, their marquee voice. Greenwald's offering was, given its remarkably rapid construction, a surprisingly detailed presentation containing photos, graphics, Twitter interactives, and screen grabs from the actual documents."
Glenn Greenwald. (photo: AP)
15 January 17
ate on the afternoon of 10 January, the trending online news site BuzzFeed posted what it described as “A dossier making explosive — but unverified — allegations.” The dossier contained a confidential overview of contacts and events that the report’s author sought to convey to his anonymous client as likely having occurred between then-businessman Donald Trump and contacts in Russia.
By 6:35 am the following morning, The Intercept was live with a 2000-plus-word analysis and rebuttal of the dossier by Glenn Greenwald, their marquee voice.
Greenwald’s offering was, given its remarkably rapid construction, a surprisingly detailed presentation containing photos, graphics, Twitter interactives, and screen grabs from the actual documents. It was also heavily laden with hyperbole, conjecture, and rhetorical flourish.
Greenwald stood on principle, Greenwald stood on journalistic integrity, Greenwald stood on Eisenhower’s shoulders, Greenwald stood on his desk in an effort to discredit and thwart the impact of the dossier. It was a masterwork of counter-spin. Some might say damage control. Had the Trump camp itself set out to counter the fallout from the release of the leaked dossier they could hardly have moved more quickly or efficiently.
Greenwald established that BuzzFeed, a click-bait infotainment website, hadn’t acted responsibly in publishing documents that were never intended for public display to begin with.
The “Deep State” reference in the headline was pure hyperbole. Presumably it’s the CIA. Because they are trying to undermine the President-elect? But not the FBI, who the Guardian characterized as “Trumpland” and whose Director James Comey roiled the Clinton campaign 11 days before the election with an October surprise?
The usually reliable Robert Parry at Consortium News does a great job, circumstantially, of discrediting the motives of U.S. intelligence officials for informing Mr. Trump of the existence of the allegations that would latter emerge in the dossier published on BuzzFeed.
Parry suggests that this is evidence that U.S. intelligence officials effectively used J. Edgar Hoover-like blackmail tactics on Trump to get him to admit that Russian hackers had indeed breeched Democratic Party email servers. None of which Parry substantiates factually.
All the while ignoring even the remotest possibility that Putin and his operatives might actually have compromising images (Kompromat) of Donald Trump doing what Donald Trump is notorious for doing, namely compromising himself in the most high-profile manner imaginable in pursuit of women young enough to be his grandchildren.
That would in fact tie in well to the article’s overarching J. Edgar Hoover theme, but with Russian president Vladimir Putin holding the cards and U.S. intelligence officials sounding the legitimate warning to the next commander in chief. As they are required to do. As long as documentary evidence is no longer needed, right?
Former CIA analyst turned agency critic and Consortium News regular Ray McGovern seemed possessed of an almost manic intensity when he arrived at the comments section of our website, Reader Supported News, to disparage me for suggesting in print that, if the Russians had in fact influenced the U.S. election that would indeed be a serious matter. McGovern even went so far as to make an insulting reference to my name worthy of a grade school playground, finally posting links to his articles and disappearing.
I challenged McGovern to a public exchange on the facts. So far no response.
Donald Trump is Trouble with a capital “T.” Right here, right now. Believe it. You can’t enable him now and defeat him later. Trump and his supporters are delighted by the efforts of Greenwald, Parry, and McGovern. No one in their stable could have fired back as effectively.
In six days, Donald Trump gets the nuclear launch codes. He also gets control of the legal apparatus that will review the legitimacy of his interactions with the Russian Federation. What we learn in the next six days may be all we will ever learn.
We would do well to learn all that we can. No matter how much Donald Trump’s defender-enablers try to discourage doing so.
Marc Ash is the founder and former Executive Director of Truthout, and is now founder and Editor of Reader Supported News.
Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.
