Russian Hackers Attack Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

While Putin loving Donald Trump tries to walk back his invitation to Russian government hackers to attack Hillary Clinton and Democrat organizations - one of Trump's stooges tied to say Trump's statements were a "joke" - word comes that Russian Hackers have attacked the computer systems of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.  To me, the fact that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin seemingly desperately wants to see Trump elected ought to send shivers down the backs of every American.  The Washington Post looks at this latest hacking which is being investigated by the FBI.  Here are article highlights:

Russian government hackers have breached the computers of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, according to individuals familiar with the matter.

The intrusion appeared to be carried out by the same Russian intelligence service that hacked the Democratic National Committee earlier this year, the individuals said.

The FBI is investigating this breach as part of a broader probe into hacking of political organizations.

The revelation, first reported by Reuters, comes on the same evening that Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was making her acceptance speech at the party’s national convention in Philadelphia.

“It’s definitely part of a much, much broader campaign that is yet to fully be publicly revealed,” said one of the sources, a cybersecurity expert familiar with the matter.

Hackers working for Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU, were traced to the DCCC intrusion, the sources said. Also known as APT 28 or Fancy Bear, they are the group the FBI believes took a cache of DNC emails. The bureau is trying to determine whether those emails are the ones that appeared on the website of the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks on Friday, setting off a firestorm that roiled the party in the lead-up to the convention.

The FBI also will try to determine whether APT 28 or an affiliated group passed those emails to WikiLeaks, law enforcement sources said.

The concern is that Moscow may be attempting to meddle in the U.S. election, which would be an unprecedented and highly troubling turn of events. . . . The DCCC intrusion apparently is part of a much broader campaign of political espionage by the Russians. The FBI is also investigating targeting and potential compromises of the Clinton campaign, . . .

The full scope of the intrusions has yet to be revealed. News of the latest hack is sure to add to the already significant level of concern in the White House about potential Russian interference in the U.S. electoral process.

Hillary Condoned Blackmailing the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

The Huffington Post is reporting that Hillary Clinton's campaign knew of the "blackmail" letter sent by a group of Hillary donors threatening to withhold money from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee if superdelegates fail to overturn the popular vote in favor of Obama and chastising Nancy Pelosi for standing up to a democratic selection process within the Democratic Party. It should be obvious by now that Hillary will do anything to win the nomination and is willing to trash the Party like a spoiled child if she doesn't get her way. I also have to wonder what pay backs - ambassadorships, high paying appointments, etc., Hillary is offering these folks to get them to take such an action. Can someone buy Hillary and Bill one-way tickets out of the country - not sure who deserves them, maybe China - please!!!! Here are highlights from HP (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/27/clinton-campaign-stands-b_n_93749.html):

Aides to Sen. Hillary Clinton said on Thursday that they knew key fundraisers for her campaign were sending a letter to Nancy Pelosi, castigating the Speaker over her position on superdelegates and threatening, vaguely, to withhold campaign donations. And while they did not go so far as to say they approved of the letter's content -- "we didn't know what was in it," said spokesman Phil Singer -- they did argue that the "letter speaks for itself."

"We have been strong supporters of the DCCC," they wrote. "We therefore urge you to clarify your position on super-delegates and reflect in your comments a more open view to the optional independent actions of each of the delegates at the National Convention in August."

On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Pelosi said that the Speaker was "confident" in her proclamation that superdelegates -- when deciding between Sen. Barack Obama and Clinton -- should take into primary consideration the tallies of both the popular vote and the pledged delegate count. "The speaker believes it would do great harm to the Democratic Party if superdelegates are perceived to overturn the will of the voters," said Brendan Daly, a spokesman for Pelosi. "This has been her position throughout this primary season, regardless of who was ahead at any particular point in delegates or votes."