Did you learn Russian?

Surprise!! It tourns out there may be a Russian connection to the current chaos in Washington.

It is well known that Russia attempted to interfere in the 2016 and 2024 elections, specifically by spewing millions of gallons of Propaganda into the Social Media stratosphere. Since the 2016 election was decided by only 40,000 votes [.002 % of total votes cast] it is probable that, absent Russian propaganda, Hilary Clinton would have become President.

What most Americans, including myself, did not know is that there is a Russian connection to the current madness.

First, according to the New York Times, Kash Patel, Trumps nominee for FBI Chief, was paid by the Kremlin for assistance to what was apparently a Russian Propaganda video. I want to emphasize that this does not mean that Patel is a Russian asset, or that the Kremlin will influence his actions as FBI Chief.  However, it does raise questions about Patel’s judgement, as well as the wisdom of placing him in control of Federal Law enforcement.

The Russian connection to Elon Musk is even more interesting. After Musk purchased Twitter, he allowed Russia to post  a large volume of Propaganda on the site, and the volume has been increasing. More importantly, Russia has long been opposed to the actions of USAID. This now has real life consequences. The vast majority of the conservative and right-wing attacks on USAID have repeated Russian propaganda,  including some Musk’s claims. Musk himself has even reposted Russian propaganda under his own name. It is no surprise then that the Kremlin has congratulated Musk on the abolition of USAID.

FOOTNOTE

I want to end with a little humor. Donald Trump has fired all democratic members of the Kennedy Board of Directors, and the long time Chair of the Kennedy Center, David Rubenstein. Trump has now anointed himself as chair of the Kennedy Center, and declared  this  will be “golden age of art and culture.”  Board members are normally evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. They are   appointed to rolling terms and have always been non-partisan. This is the first time since the Kennedy Center opened 50 years ago that a President has fired any member of the Board.

Look forward to next year’s program of Yankee Doodle Dandy and a stage version of The Birth of the Nation!  

For those too young to remember, Yankee Doodle Dandy was a patriotic musical from the 1950s about a man who wrote patriotic songs. Birth of a Nation was a famous silent film released in 1915; it glorified white supremacy and cast members of the Ku Klux Klan as patriotic heroes. Many white viewers cheered. The film marked the rebirth of the Klan and an escalating era of renewed violence against non-whites. It can be argued that Birth of a Nation made it more socially acceptable to murder African Americans.