Claire McCaskill was targetted by Russian hackers shortly after Trump encouraged folks to vote her out https://t.co/uiFvxPJ5Ix
— Sam Stein (@samstein) July 26, 2018
And I do believe Sen. McCaskill is canny enough to turn this attempt into a weapon against the perennially dissatisfied Never-Dem “true progressives” who bitch more about her than her Repub opponents:
The Russian intelligence agency behind the 2016 election cyberattacks targeted Sen. Claire McCaskill as she began her 2018 re-election campaign in earnest, a Daily Beast forensic analysis reveals. That makes the Missouri Democrat the first identified target of the Kremlin’s 2018 election interference.
McCaskill, who has been highly critical of Russia over the years, is widely considered to be among the most vulnerable Senate Democrats facing re-election this year as Republicans hope to hold their slim majority in the Senate. In 2016, President Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by almost 20 points in the senator’s home state of Missouri.
There’s no evidence to suggest that this particular attack was successful. Asked about the hack attempt by Russia’s GRU intelligence agency, McCaskill told The Daily Beast on Thursday that she wasn’t yet prepared to discuss it…
On Friday, Trump is scheduled to chair a meeting of the National Security Council on election vulnerabilities facing the midterm elections—amid persistent criticism, particularly after his Helsinki meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, that he isn’t taking Russian interference seriously…
McCaskill is one of 10 Senate Democrats facing re-election this year in states that Trump won in 2016. Her likely Republican challenger is Josh Hawley, who currently serves as the state’s attorney general. Outside groups and campaign committees have spent more than $15.5 million against McCaskill so far…
I also assume we can count on Hawley to make a bad situation worse for himself, yes?
Much more, including details of the hacking methods, at the link.
dmsilev
So, I guess that Trump Tweet from like 2 days ago about how Russian hackers were going to try to help Democrats was wrong?
I’m shocked.
Yarrow
She is so good at figuring out how to win in her state. If anyone can make this work for her, she can.
In other Russia news:
Tick tock, Traitor Dana.
Baud
I’ll be thrilled if she does it again.
? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?
@Baud:
But…
Baud
@? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?:
But what?
BGinCHI
Claire has been blessed with some truly terrible opposition.
Gozer
@Yarrow:
https://twitter.com/danarohrabacher/status/451228349869088768?lang=en
zhena gogolia
@BGinCHI:
Hi, stranger!
JMG
“I;m the Senator Russia hates the worst” isn’t a bad campaign slogan. Neither is “why does Russia want my opponent to win?”
hueyplong
@Gozer Dana feels that way about the people in his district as well.:
geg6
@Yarrow:
Oooo, love to see this idiot turning slowly on Mueller’s spit.
dexwood
@Yarrow:
You could sell a ton of Tick, tock, motherfuckers t-shirts. Succinct, hopeful…
Duane
McCaskill is our good Senator. She’s becoming more vocal and more effective. She called out Hatch on his bs, and did the same for Eichhert (sp?) of OMB recently. Hawley is a bad candidate, trying to act like a choirboy, instead of the glibertarian trump-humper he is.
Steeplejack
@dmsilev:
Hey, get your facts straight. Trump later clarified that he said “Russian hackers were not going to try to help Democrats.” It was all over the media.
Roger Moore
@BGinCHI:
Yeah, and she earned some of that terrible opposition by cleverly working the Republicans against themselves. She may not always toe the party line, but she’s a bare knuckle political brawler come election time, and the Democrats could use some more of that.
Duane
@JMG: Why does Russia want my opponent to win is gonna leave a huge mark, hopefully a permanent scar.
Mary G
@Roger Moore: Yeah, she doesn’t go high when they go low, she doesn’t bring a gun to a knife fight either. She donated to and bought ads for Todd Akin in his primary six years ago, if I remember correctly. And her yelling at Orrin Hatch in the healthcare committee that time had me cheering.
Platonailedit
opiejeanne
@Platonailedit: That’s a great statement.
TenguPhule
I’m so old I remember when this was considered borderline impeachable.
gene108
@JMG:
A question I wish journalists would ask, knowing Russia wants to weaken our international standing. Why is Russia so keen on electing Republicans? And therefore, are Republicans weaken our country?
It is a pipe dream, but a boy has to dream.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I honestly can’t remember if this is old news, or news we’ve all been assuming would break
kindness
Bless all the people who live in Missouri. I couldn’t do it. I have some friends there though. Claire is one of those Democrats you’d have to hold your nose and vote for because the Repub is worse. I hope she wins but she pisses me off way to often. Out here on the People’s Republic of California we have our own election issues. We have two Democrats running against each other on our ballot. Yea, I am NOT a fan of the whole top 2 thingy. Anyway, DiFi who I have always held my nose & voted for in the general now has actual competition. You wouldn’t believe how liberal she’s become. Quite a change. I am thrilled with Kamala, so that’s good. I can live with a moderate as my Democratic Senator. There is no reason for us to have a conservative one though. Bet DiFi wins, no matter what Bernie’s folk do.
opiejeanne
@kindness: Cousins in Kansas and Missouri. I really don’t know how the sane ones can stay.
kindness
@opiejeanne: There are good people everywhere. Some places just fewer & farther between.
Platonailedit
Racist whiny pos pulls a temper tantrum.
TenguPhule
This may be the stupidest thing I’ve seen today.
Is this lawyer trying to get himself disbarred for sheer incompetence?
Jim Parish
@TenguPhule: No, no, you misunderstand: he’s displaying outcompetence.
Gretchen
I just learned today that Hawley is in a field of 18 primary challengers. One of them is raffling off a 3 d printer that can make untraceable plastic guns because he doesn’t think Hawley is far right enough on guns.
opiejeanne
@kindness: They’re good people and they probably know some good people, but I don’t think they’re staying in those places for the lovely climate. Their kids are bailing out of the two states.
feebog
So, there were three candidates who Russian Intelligence attempted to hack. Who are the other two?
opiejeanne
@Gretchen: Wow. What state is that?
Ian R
Hawley must really think it’s his time. After all, Trump is trying to revive the Smoot Hawley tarrifs.
TenguPhule
@Jim Parish:
Where would you like your Internets delivered?
efgoldman
@opiejeanne:
Confusion
piratedan
and this is just the first that we’re hearing about, anyone want to take bets that the Dems actually won Wisconsin? Won the votes in Minnesota and Michigan? Congressional races?
I’m also guessing that on one wants to lay bets that actual hacking is going on right now trying to work against all of the voter registration drives that have been in place?
If the press had any nads nationally this would be the proof that was in the pudding and we’ll all get downed in the avalanche of everything else that is coming down the pike. Lets hope that some of our local juornos are up to the task….
Steeplejack
@opiejeanne:
Missouri.
burnspbesq
@kindness:
Talk about being blessed with bad opponents … Feinstein gets DeLeon.
BGinCHI
@zhena gogolia: Hi back. I’m around, just not doing much posting….
Nettoyeur
@Mary G: don’t you mean “knife to a gun fight” ?
Michael Bersin
@Gretchen:
Eleven republicans have filed and seven Democrats (including Claire McCaskill). This is normal for Missouri.