Profile In Focus | Wikileaks - Part 8 (October 2016 - December 2016)
Russia Is A Terrorist State: Part 2 (2000s)
Profile In Focus | Wikileaks - Part 8 (October 2016 - December 2016)
“U.S. President Barack Obama during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin” by The Press Service of the President of Russia under CC BY 4.0.
In October 2016, WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange became prominent figures in the U.S. presidential election. On October 4, Assange announced that WikiLeaks would release a "significant" leak related to the U.S. election. This created anticipation and speculation about the potential impact of the release.
A few days later, on October 7, WikiLeaks published what appeared to be excerpts from Hillary Clinton's paid speeches to Wall Street. These leaked speeches showed Clinton's close ties to the financial industry, which led to criticism and accusations of being too cozy with Wall Street.
Around the same time, the U.S. government formally accused Russia of hacking activities aimed at influencing the election. This raised concerns about foreign interference in the democratic process and added fuel to the ongoing political controversies.
The situation intensified on October 8 when a tape was released containing lewd comments made by Donald Trump about women. This revelation caused outrage and led to calls for Trump to withdraw from the race. Trump apologized for his comments but faced widespread condemnation.
Meanwhile, WikiLeaks continued to release more emails related to the Clinton campaign. On October 10, leaked emails showed how Clinton's campaign struggled to shape her message and manage her public image. The emails also revealed behind-the-scenes efforts to handle potential challenges from Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden.
As the election drew closer, tensions escalated between Trump and Clinton. Trump threatened to jail Clinton, which many experts criticized as reminiscent of "tin-pot dictators." The controversies surrounding the candidates and the leaked emails continued to dominate the headlines.
On November 8, Election Day, Julian Assange released more emails and defended WikiLeaks' mission. However, his actions and the leaked emails received mixed reactions. Some praised Assange for exposing corruption and secrecy, while others criticized him for potentially influencing the election.
After the election, allegations of Russian hacking and interference took center stage. The U.S. intelligence community concluded that Russian hackers were involved in the cyberattacks targeting the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Clinton's campaign. President Obama ordered a review of foreign attempts to hack the election, and tensions between the U.S. and Russia escalated.
In December, Obama announced sanctions against Russia in response to the hacking. The move aimed to punish those responsible and deter future cyberattacks. Trump, who was elected president, continued to dispute the claims of Russian involvement, straining the relationship between the incoming administration and the intelligence community.
The Russian hacking saga continued to unfold, with ongoing investigations and revelations about the extent of the interference. The controversies surrounding the election, hacking, and allegations of foreign meddling persisted, creating a deep divide among politicians, experts, and the public.
Throughout this period, WikiLeaks and Julian Assange played a significant role in exposing sensitive information and contributing to the already heated political climate surrounding the U.S. presidential election. The events of October to December 2016 laid the foundation for a long-lasting debate about cybersecurity, foreign interference, and the role of whistleblowers in the modern digital era.
Written in part in collaboration with ChatGPT on June 5, 2023
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Russia Is A Terrorist State:
Part 1 (1990s)
Part 2 (2000s)
Part 3 (2011 - 2016)
Part 4 (2016 - 2019)
Part 5 (2020 - 2021)
Part 6 (2022+)
Sources for Profile In Focus | Wikileaks - Part 8 (October 2016 - December 2016):
U.S. formally points finger at Russians over hacking – USA Today October 7, 2016
Donald Trump Apology Caps Day of Outrage Over Lewd Tape – The New York Times October 7, 2016
U.S. Says Russia Directed Hacks to Influence Elections – The New York Times October 7, 2016
Transcript: Donald Trump’s Taped Comments About Women – The New York Times October 8, 2016
Transcript of Donald Trump’s Videotaped Apology – The New York Times October 8, 2016
Donald Trump Vows Retaliation as Republicans Abandon Him – The New York Times October 9, 2016
Emails Show How Clinton Aides Stage-Managed Her Keystone Shift – The New York Times October 10, 2016
Rieder: The bizarre alliance of WikiLeaks and Trump – USA Today October 12, 2016
Feds believe Russians hacked Florida election-systems vendor – CNN October 12, 2016
Donald Trump Finds Improbable Ally in WikiLeaks – The New York Times October 12, 2016
Biden Hints at U.S. Response to Russia for Cyberattacks – The New York Times October 15, 2016
In Trump’s ‘Apprentice’ run, reality wasn’t what it seemed – AP News October 15, 2016
WikiLeaks dumps ninth batch of Clinton campaign emails – USA Today October 16, 2016
Trump, Clinton disagree over who’s Putin’s ‘puppet’ – USA Today October 19, 2016
Will Trump accept election results? He’ll get back to you – USA Today October 19, 2016
Trump, Clinton disagree over who’s Putin’s ‘puppet’ – USA Today October 19, 2016
Amid ‘rigged’ election charges, Russia wants to monitor U.S. vote – USA Today October 20, 2016
How Moscow Uses Interpol to Pursue Its Enemies – The New York Times November 6, 2016
2016 General Election: Trump vs. Clinton – Huffington Post November 8, 2016
Obama is right: Social media deepens political division – USA Today November 8, 2016
Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook fake news didn’t sway election – USA Today November 10, 2016
Chelsea Manning Asks Obama to Cut Sentence to Time Served – The New York Times November 13, 2016
Finger Pointed at Russians in Alleged Coup Plot in Montenegro – The New York Times November 26, 2016
U.S. Statement on Reliability of Election Results – The New York Times November 26, 2016
Trump Officially Wins Michigan Amid Calls for a Recount – The New York Times November 28, 2016
Recount Bids in 3 States Seem the Longest of Long Shots – The New York Times November 30, 2016
Paul Manafort Is Back and Advising Donald Trump on Cabinet Picks – Daily Beast November 30, 2016
Trump Backers Go to Court to Block Vote Recounts in 3 States – The New York Times December 2, 2016
Jill Stein Takes Long-Shot Recount Campaign to Trump Tower – The New York Times December 5, 2016
Courts Disagree Over Michigan Vote Recount – The New York Times December 6, 2016
Federal Judge Clears Way to End Michigan Recount – The New York Times December 7, 2016
Russian Hackers Acted to Aid Trump in Election, U.S. Says – The New York Times December 9, 2016
Obama orders review of foreign attempts to hack U.S. election – USA Today December 9, 2016
Report: Russian Hackers Had RNC Data But Didn’t Release It – Daily Beast December 10, 2016
Republican leaders join outrage at Russia, will investigate hacks – USA Today December 12, 2016
Q&A: Why the CIA, FBI differ on Russian election hacking – USA Today December 12, 2016
Pennsylvania and Wisconsin End Election Recount Efforts – The New York Times December 12, 2016
The Perfect Weapon: How Russian Cyberpower Invaded the U.S. – The New York Times December 13, 2016
Trump continues to push back on Russia hacking claims – USA Today December 15, 2016
Kremlin: Report of Putin meddling in U.S. election is ‘nonsense’ – USA Today December 15, 2016
Obama threatens retaliation against Russia for election hacking – USA Today December 15, 2016
Graham: Russians hacked me and they hacked DNC’s Podesta, too – USA Today December 15, 2016
FBI accepts CIA conclusion that Russians hacked to help Trump – USA Today December 16, 2016
Obama Says He Told Putin: ‘Cut It Out’ on Hacking – The New York Times December 16, 2016
How We Identified the D.N.C. Hack’s ‘Patient Zero’ – The New York Times December 20, 2016
Hillary Clinton Officially Wins Popular Vote by Nearly 2.9 Million – ABC News December 22, 2016
The Russian Hacking in 200 Words – The New York Times December 29, 2016
Report on Russian Hacking – The New York Times December 29, 2016
Obama Strikes Back at Russia for Election Hacking – The New York Times December 29, 2016
Obama sanctions Russian officials over election hacking – USA Today December 29, 2016
Putin-Trump ‘bromance’ broadens post-sanctions – USA Today December 30, 2016
The Russian hacking saga: How we got here – USA Today December 30, 2016