The Associated Press reports US Accuses Financial Website of Spreading Russian Propaganda.
Bloomberg reports U.S. Accuses Zero Hedge of Spreading Russian Propaganda
U.S. intelligence officials on Tuesday accused a conservative financial news website with a significant American readership of amplifying Kremlin propaganda and alleged five media outlets targeting Ukrainians have taken direction from Russian spies.
The officials said Zero Hedge, which has 1.2 million Twitter followers, published articles created by Moscow-controlled media that were then shared by outlets and people unaware of their nexus to Russian intelligence. The officials did not say whether they thought Zero Hedge knew of any links to spy agencies and did not allege direct links between the website and Russia.
The officials briefed The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence sources. It was the latest effort by President Joe Biden’s administration to release U.S. intelligence findings about Russian activity involving Ukraine as part of a concerted push to expose and influence the moves of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
US Intelligence Failures
Intelligence agencies feel the need to sling arrows at Zero Hedge anonymously. What a hoot.
It’s no wonder people turn to Zero Hedge looking at the unbelievable garbage coming from the US state department time and time again.
Does anyone recall the lies that kicked off the Vietnam War?
What about general Colin Powell making an outright ass of himself in from of the UN regarding alleged weapons of mass destruction of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
Colin Powell’s U.N. Speech
Colin Powell says U.N. Speech “Was a Great Intelligence Failure”
Powell has called his 2003 speech to the United Nations, laying out the Bush administration’s rationale for war in Iraq, a “blot” on his record.
The article does not even mention the laughable evidence Powell presented to the UN. If anything, the article was an attempt at whitewashing his role in the war.
Powell claims he tried to talk Bush out of it. But if Powell had any integrity, he would have resigned.
No Reason to Believe the US State Department
There is no reason anyone should have faith in what the US State Department says.
If anything, some of it is so preposterous you would be wise to discount everything they say.
Here is a video clip in point from a few days ago.
US State Department: “One possible option the Russians are considering, and which we made public today, involves the production of a propaganda video – a video with graphic scenes of false explosions depicting corpses, crisis actors, mourners, and images of destroyed locations, entirely fabricated.”
Reporter “This is Alex Jones Territory. What evidence do you have that there is some propaganda film in the making?“
Please play the video, at least the first five minutes fore the claim and the reporter’s questions.
The only evidence the state department presented was its declassified claim. The state department took a claim, declassified the claim, then labeled it as evidence.
Propaganda Wars
On February 13, I commented The Difficultly in Untangling Ukraine Propaganda Means We Have More of It
I repeat what I said then.
Boy Screams Wolf
We’ve seen this “Boy Screams Wolf” movie before, many times: Vietnam, Syria, Iraq, Libya, and of course Russia allegedly costing Hillary the 2016 election.
This time the US state department wants us to believe Russia is creating “a video with graphic scenes of false explosions depicting corpses, crisis actors, mourners, and images of destroyed locations, entirely fabricated.”
Will Russia invade? It’s possible, but color me more than a bit skeptical.
Regardless, the US State Department hype is more than a bit over the top and grounds for huge skepticism in and of itself.
Groundhog Day
White House Issues “Imminent Threat” Warning on Russia Invading Ukraine
With no new evidence, the State Department issued an “Imminent Threat” warning today telling US citizens to leave Ukraine.https://t.co/AU6RKmMNW5
— Mike “Mish” Shedlock (@MishGEA) February 12, 2022
Groundhog News
Today’s “Breaking News” is the same “Breaking news” as yesterday, the day before, a week ago, and I believe a month ago. pic.twitter.com/eYbMjXaw1C
— Mike “Mish” Shedlock (@MishGEA) February 14, 2022
Groundhog Warnings Continue
“U.S. officials have said Russia could launch an attack on Ukraine as soon as Wednesday. “
— Mike “Mish” Shedlock (@MishGEA) February 15, 2022
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is simultaneously at the epicenter of the Ukraine World War III hysteria while under investigation by Durham for being at the epicenter of the fake Russia collusion narrative. pic.twitter.com/sLW80sU5tL
— J Michael Waller (@JMichaelWaller) February 14, 2022
Russia Says Some Troops Pulling Back From Ukraine Border
Today the WSJ reports Russia Says Some Troops Pulling Back From Ukraine Border as NATO Hopes for Diplomacy
Meanwhile, the state department repeated for the nth time war may be imminent.
Favorite Line
My favorite line in so many news stories of the past 5 years is “according to anonymous sources with close ties to the U.S. intelligence community.”
— Rudy Havenstein, Senior Markets Commentator. (@RudyHavenstein) December 18, 2021
My favorite line in so many news stories of the past 5 years is “according to anonymous sources with close ties to the U.S. intelligence community.”
Now We’ve Done It: We Pissed Off The CIA
Zero Hedge replies Now We’ve Done It: We Pissed Off The CIA Emphasis His.
Echoing a false allegation we have repeatedly heard before, “U.S. intelligence officials on Tuesday accused a conservative financial news website with a significant American readership of amplifying Kremlin propaganda and alleged five media outlets targeting Ukrainians have taken direction from Russian spies. The officials said Zero Hedge, which has 1.2 million Twitter followers, published articles created by Moscow-controlled media that were then shared by outlets and people unaware of their nexus to Russian intelligence.”
Well, now we’ve done it – we’ve angered the CIA, and for what? For publishing views that challenge the conventional narrative, such as disputing that an invasion of Ukraine is actually “imminent” as the US State Department and its mainstream media conduits repeat day after day, or that the Covid virus was actually created in a Chinese lab, a view which has gained substantial prominence in recent months after it emerged that none other than the UK’s Jeremy Farrar (also known as the UK’s Doctor Fauci) played a pivotal role in stifling suggestions that this new virus might have come from a laboratory rather than emerged through natural zoonotic transmission from animals.
Of course, there is no actual accusation that Zero Hedge works directly with anyone tied to Russia or its intelligence apparatus – as the AP admits “officials did not say whether they thought Zero Hedge knew of any links to spy agencies and did not allege direct links between the website and Russia”, which is correct because – and we will repeat this once again for the record and for all future similar hit piece attempts to smear us – this website has never worked, collaborated or cooperated with Russia, nor are there any links to spy (or any other) agencies; instead all the AP notes, citing some unnamed “intelligence official”, is that the US intelligence apparatus is unhappy that among our hundreds of guest publishing contributors is a website called Strategic Culture Foundation which US intel officials “allege” take direction from the SVR, the Russian foreign intelligence service.
Well, is the Strategic Culture Foundation – which periodically guest posts on this website along with hundreds of other sources of alternative information – taking direction from Russian intel?
We don’t know, and we don’t care: instead what we have cared about since our first day, is to provide a platform, a voice to anyone who has a unique, a different, perspective from the one pushed by the mainstream media.
What is remarkable is that in its bizarre hit piece attempt to silence us, the “deep state” has pulled out the same trite and discredited Russiagate conspiracy theory whose popularity crashed and burned long ago, yet which paradoxically still makes an appearance now and then in hopes of appeasing its few remaining “lowest-common denominator” readers, which still fall for the real hoaxes… such as weapons of mass destruction, or that Putin is invading Ukraine tomorrow, or that Democrats did not spy on Trump.
Suggestion for the US State Department
There is no reason for anyone to believe the US State Department. History shows the CIA is committed to spreading more wars and more terror.
Moreover, it’s entirely believable the Biden administration purposely hyped up war for the express purpose of taking credit for stellar diplomacy to stop it.
I am not stating that’s what’s happening, but in light of current events one would be a fool to discount it.
This is not the same as believing Russia. They are all a pack of liars.
Meanwhile, if the US State Department wants to be taken seriously I have a suggestion for them: Stop your own damn propaganda and warmongering first.
At the very least, stop presenting Alex Jones type theories as direct evidence or you look as foolish as Colin Powell making a WOMD case to the UN he did not even believe in.
This post originated at MishTalk.Com.
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Mish
government told me that they suspected Zero Hedge may be a Trojan horse as
well. “I trust it is a project of Bulgarian intelligence,” a former senior
Bulgarian government official told me. “It is unlikely that they would embark
on their own without the backing or funding from Moscow.”
government told me that they suspected Zero Hedge may be a Trojan horse as
well. “I trust it is a project of Bulgarian intelligence,” a former senior
Bulgarian government official told me. “It is unlikely that they would embark
on their own without the backing or funding from Moscow.”
Zero Hedge is about 50/50 between kookery and valuable insight. I suspect the kookery is to drive up DAU.
Big earthquake? Yup, ZH has it first.
Fukishima news? ZH often has the only accurate stuff.
Doom news? Well, ZH is my favorite doom news site. They do need to kick off Snyder though. He’s a bit nuts.
How you disappoint me comrade. You need to be less obvious or else no one pays attention to you.