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Slate : Was a Trump Server Communicating With Russia?

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enzo_gt

tagged by Blackace
This could be potential damning, but like everything else this election I don't think it's going to go anywhere. Especially if the FBI can't be assed.
 
There's a reason folk are jumping in a any story just now. There's clearly a feeling on both sides they need to knock the other side out. Everyone is so terrified of the other candidate they want to jail them for dubious reasons just so their candidate walks the election.

BOTH SIDES ARE THE SAME, AM I RIGHT!!?!

It's all a bit silly. Trump is not running because the Russians asked him to. I can't be bothered even having that argument. He's a nationalist old baby boomer and his ego is so great he thinks he's Americas Messiah.

His candidacy fits Putin as America is painted as unreliable; alien and irrational. Ultimately Trump is a nationalist and his supporters will speak well of Putin until there is a confrontation more directly with US interests.

Like with the Comey stuff. If Trump were a Putin surrogate he'd be in jail (the idea the director of the FBI is keeping this quiet because of Republican Economic policies is just nutter talk); they have a mutual interest and both are benefiting the other but there is not a direct relationship.

I mean it's the height of conspiracy to think Russia has such a better image of American politics that they identified and backed Trump. I mean Trumps spent fuck all - we've had threads and threads mocking him for this but now he's campaign is being patrolled by Russia?

I just think the whole thing is guff. The Putin attack line is just the ISIS recruitment attack line but it's stuck so their keeping at it.

This whole fucking election has been folk attacking Trump in all the wrong places. Least the fact hrs a sexual harrasser made it easy for people.

On Russia? Trumps policies will strengthen Russia's hand against future US governments. Does the same thing but your not neck deep trying to directly connect Trump to Putin. It's the end effect that's important here. Not the motivation. Fucking done.

Oh my...
 
Oh it will. Remember the Reid letter to Comey this weekend? He specifically mentioned the Russia-Trump connection. A little skeptical it's all a coincidence.

Supposedly the NYT is doing a very similar story, so we may have to wait for them to release it before we can know for sure whether it'll get traction or not.

Holy shit. Smoking gun right here. Are news channels picking up on this? This needs to be brought up.

It's Halloween and the story was just put out less than two hours ago. It'll take time to see if they'll bring it up.
 

LotusHD

Banned
There's a reason folk are jumping in a any story just now. There's clearly a feeling on both sides they need to knock the other side out. Everyone is so terrified of the other candidate they want to jail them for dubious reasons just so their candidate walks the election.

It's all a bit silly. Trump is not running because the Russians asked him to. I can't be bothered even having that argument. He's a nationalist old baby boomer and his ego is so great he thinks he's Americas Messiah.

His candidacy fits Putin as America is painted as unreliable; alien and irrational. Ultimately Trump is a nationalist and his supporters will speak well of Putin until there is a confrontation more directly with US interests.

Like with the Comey stuff. If Trump were a Putin surrogate he'd be in jail (the idea the director of the FBI is keeping this quiet because of Republican Economic policies is just nutter talk); they have a mutual interest and both are benefiting the other but there is not a direct relationship.

I mean it's the height of conspiracy to think Russia has such a better image of American politics that they identified and backed Trump. I mean Trumps spent fuck all - we've had threads and threads mocking him for this but now he's campaign is being patrolled by Russia?

I just think the whole thing is guff. The Putin attack line is just the ISIS recruitment attack line but it's stuck so their keeping at it.

This whole fucking election has been folk attacking Trump in all the wrong places. Least the fact hrs a sexual harrasser made it easy for people.

On Russia? Trumps policies will strengthen Russia's hand against future US governments. Does the same thing but your not neck deep trying to directly connect Trump to Putin. It's the end effect that's important here. Not the motivation. Fucking done.

We got non-dubious reasons though...

And while I would've agreed like months ago that the whole puppet thing is just a fantasy, the evidence continues to pile up, to the point where if it ever did come out that he is in fact linked to Putin, I wouldn't be surprised at all. But of course, Trump gets the benefit of the doubt for nearly everything he does.
 

royalan

Member
It's all a bit silly. Trump is not running because the Russians asked him to. I can't be bothered even having that argument. He's a nationalist old baby boomer and his ego is so great he thinks he's Americas Messiah.

Ummm HEW is saying that tho??

What IS being said is that Donald Trump is a gullible fucking moron who is easy to manipulate. He caught the attention of Putin, who said, "Hey Look! Republicans nominated a gullible fucking moron! Let me manipulate him! Hey Trump, it's Putin! I think you're cool and really smart! Why yes, OF COURSE we can be friends! Just let me use your campaign as a proxy to infiltrate your government. Why? Oh, nothing big..."
 

TheOMan

Tagged as I see fit
Ummm HEW is saying that tho??

What IS being said is that Donald Trump is a gullible fucking moron who is easy to manipulate. He caught the attention of Putin, who said, "Hey Look! Republicans nominated a gullible fucking moron! Let me manipulate him! Hey Trump, it's Putin! I think you're cool and really smart! Why yes, OF COURSE we can be friends! Just let me use your campaign as a proxy to infiltrate your government. Why? Oh, nothing big..."

Trump would not have asked why, more like, you send money I give you whatever you want.
 
Skimmed the article. Is the implication that because the Alfa bank server is doing nslookups against the Trump server that this is a form of communication? "One NSLOOKUP means 'yes' and two NSLOOKUPs means 'no'?"

I guess. Also the implication that it was a secret human to human communication just because of the hours the requests were sent lined up with business hours is a stretch.

Maybe they were communicating by Morse code instead of using an end-to-end encrypted messaging service ��


Edit:

I did more digging and will post the information soon.
 

kirblar

Member
This could be potential damning, but like everything else this election I don't think it's going to go anywhere. Especially if the FBI can't be assed.
They are assed. The issue is that Comey decided to tell the world about one politicla investigation while conveniently failing to mention the other.
 

TheOMan

Tagged as I see fit
Skimmed the article. Is the implication that because the Alfa bank server is doing nslookups against the Trump server that this is a form of communication? "One NSLOOKUP means 'yes' and two NSLOOKUPs means 'no'?"

Well, there's also the fact that it was configured to only accept connection from certain IPs and it's existence was to be obscured and communication stopped after they journalists tipped their hand along with other suspicious activity. Look at it in context and it looks pretty bad.
 

Kathian

Banned
BOTH SIDES ARE THE SAME, AM I RIGHT!!?!
No they are not the same. However both sides are now fully engaged in calling the other side to be arrested.
We got non-dubious reasons though...
And while I would've agreed like months ago that the whole puppet thing is just a fantasy, the evidence continues to pile up, to the point where if it ever did come out that he is in fact linked to Putin, I wouldn't be surprised at all. But of course, Trump gets the benefit of the doubt for nearly everything he does.
The support is indirect though which does not really make him a puppet. I mean Trump win the Republican nomination fair and square. There is a Democrat in High Office; the Republicans in government are not Putin supporters. If there was direct support or a direct relationship I just think we’d know.
 

Oriel

Member
Typical Democrats, bringing up the Russians when they fail. You don't know it was the Russians. Wouldn't it be better if we all just got along?

Jesus, would you stop this?! The evidence linking Putin to Trump is solidly established. You sound like some RT pundit with your posts.
 

Chittagong

Gold Member
Before we unleash the lynch mob, remind me again what is wrong with Trump having a private line to a Russian bank? Considering his personal connections and business ties to Russia.

I mean, he might very well be a Russian puppet, but private connections with banks are hardly the conclusive proof people are looking for, unless I am missing something.
 

RPGCrazied

Member
Hillary on it now:

Cw_Ii_Ix_KWEAAWZ0_jpg_large.jpg
 

riotous

Banned
I completely believe it

But.

How do they know the traffic patterns ? the would require investigators compromise something en-route, or a Trump machine is using a DNS service they have full access to. For example, google knows WAY too much about everyone from offering their tempting 8.8.8.8 address. But where in the network are the investigators able to tap? I'm a little confused about how this went down.

They are experts who are given access to logs for the purpose of hunting down botnets:

Computer scientists have built a set of massive DNS databases, which provide fragmentary histories of communications flows, in part to create an archive of malware: a kind of catalog of the tricks bad actors have tried to pull, which often involve masquerading as legitimate actors. These databases can give a useful, though far from comprehensive, snapshot of traffic across the internet. Some of the most trusted DNS specialists—an elite group of malware hunters, who work for private contractors—have access to nearly comprehensive logs of communication between servers. They work in close concert with internet service providers, the networks through which most of us connect to the internet, and the ones that are most vulnerable to massive attacks. To extend the traffic metaphor, these scientists have cameras posted on the internet’s stoplights and overpasses. They are entrusted with something close to a complete record of all the servers of the world connecting with one another.
 
Before we unleash the lynch mob, remind me again what is wrong with Trump having a private line to a Russian bank? Considering his personal connections and business ties to Russia.

I mean, he might very well be a Russian puppet, but private connections with banks are hardly the conclusive proof people are looking for, unless I am missing something.

Well. the only policy he's stuck with is his sunshine approach to Russia, to the point of making blatant lies to justify it. Not to mention how recently, Russia can't help but vaunt itself towards Trump. The rest is a large series of strings that all seem to link Trump to Russian powerhouses.
 
Before we unleash the lynch mob, remind me again what is wrong with Trump having a private line to a Russian bank? Considering his personal connections and business ties to Russia.

I mean, he might very well be a Russian puppet, but private connections with banks are hardly the conclusive proof people are looking for, unless I am missing something.

Slate said:
Earlier this month, the group of computer scientists passed the logs to Paul Vixie. In the world of DNS experts, there’s no higher authority. Vixie wrote central strands of the DNS code that makes the Internet work. After studying the logs, he concluded, “The parties were communicating in a secretive fashion. The operative word is secretive. This is more akin to what criminal syndicates do if they are putting together a project.” Put differently, the logs suggested that Trump and Alfa had configured something like a digital hotline connecting the two entities, shutting out the rest of the world, and designed to obscure its own existence. Over the summer, the scientists observed the communications trail from a distance.

And both sides have strenuously denied any connection. This isn't about a private line, it is about a secret line. This is not normal.
 

rjinaz

Member
Before we unleash the lynch mob, remind me again what is wrong with Trump having a private line to a Russian bank? Considering his personal connections and business ties to Russia.

I mean, he might very well be a Russian puppet, but private connections with banks are hardly the conclusive proof people are looking for, unless I am missing something.

He can't just pick up a phone? He needs a secret server?
 

MogCakes

Member
The fallout of this election will be the most insane in US history. I just want Trump not to win and I will be happy to watch the fireworks after.
 
It certainly looks bad, but why wasn't this publicized back in september when the server got shut off? Or even before that when suspicions of his russian ties were being taken more seriously?

I don't doubt it but it seems suspiciously timed as a response to hillary's attention in the news, just like reid's letter. A legitimate security threat and possible treasonous action like this should have been taken to the authorities back in the summer when it was discovered.
 

rjinaz

Member
If only Comey was doing his job instead of saving his ass they would've found this months ago.

It certainly looks bad, but why wasn't this publicized back in september when the server got shut off? Or even before that when suspicions of his russian ties were being taken more seriously?

I don't doubt it but it seems suspiciously timed as a response to hillary's attention in the news, just like reid's letter. A legitimate security threat and possible treasonous action like this should have been taken to the authorities back in the summer when it was discovered.

The above quote is a possible answer.
 

SyNapSe

Member
Before we unleash the lynch mob, remind me again what is wrong with Trump having a private line to a Russian bank? Considering his personal connections and business ties to Russia.

I mean, he might very well be a Russian puppet, but private connections with banks are hardly the conclusive proof people are looking for, unless I am missing something.

I agree. They've admitted that's where they get a ton of loans from.. what's curious is the way the timing lines up but it could all be on the up and up. Perhaps negotiating a new loan. I feel Trumps Russian connections should have been looked into by our intelligence agencies. There is certainly a lot of smoke
 

pigeon

Banned
"Maybe he just has normal secret business ties with Russia that he refuses to disclose" IS NOT ACTUALLY A DEFENSE GUYS, STOP SAYING IT IS

He has repeatedly said he has no business in Russia!
 
The above quote is a possible answer.

The "comey is working for the republicans" angle makes no sense when you consider he could have pulled the trigger on hillary earlier this year and didn't. Besides, he may be the director but he's just one man. Plus, obama himself said that comey isn't working for the republicans.

I'm just saying that it sounds suspicious that this comes out now, a week before the election, when the numbers are not as comfortable for hillary, and hillary has a prepared statement and breakdown ready to go. Even if they withheld revealing it until it was politically necessary that seems counter to the best interests of the american people. It should have been investigated by the official channels earlier.
 
It will not. This comes from Hillary directly. No Trump supporter will ever believe ANYTHING coming from Hillary's camp.
I more just meant using that as a way the media can frame it in general to explain it in an easy to understand way but in any case Trump supporters don't matter, and haven't for a while. They're not going to be convinced about anything. All about winning over people on the edge and people not quite motivated enough to vote and pushing them over. The deplorables ate wholely irrelevant.
 
It's all a bit silly. Trump is not running because the Russians asked him to. I can't be bothered even having that argument. He's a nationalist old baby boomer and his ego is so great he thinks he's Americas Messiah.

His candidacy fits Putin as America is painted as unreliable; alien and irrational. Ultimately Trump is a nationalist and his supporters will speak well of Putin until there is a confrontation more directly with US interests.
...

I mean it's the height of conspiracy to think Russia has such a better image of American politics that they identified and backed Trump. I mean Trumps spent fuck all - we've had threads and threads mocking him for this but now he's campaign is being patrolled by Russia?
...
On Russia? Trumps policies will strengthen Russia's hand against future US governments. Does the same thing but your not neck deep trying to directly connect Trump to Putin. It's the end effect that's important here. Not the motivation. Fucking done.

Well this would be kind of maybe relevant of it weren't for few things:

1. Paul Manafort- A dude who came in after Corey L was removed from the campaign (even after Trump defended him against assaulting a reporter). Now Manafort worked previously in Ukraine for ousted pro-Putin Vicktor Yanukovych. Manafort has failed to disclose that he helped the Pro-Putin regime wire over 2 million to Washington lobbying firms. He also has been found to be in secret ledgers discovered reporting where:

"Prosecutors allege that Yanukovych and his allies, including Oleg Deripaska, an oligarch close to Putin, set up a network of offshore companies based in tax shelters like the Cayman Islands, which they used to launder money stolen from public coffers."


2. Trump's campaign (with Manafort at the helm) through the RNC made only change to the party platform, which was to stop demanding lethal aid to Ukraine

3. Carter Page, a former Trump campaign foreign policy advisor is being investigated by the FBI for ties to Russia

4. The curious case of reporters and DNC staffers looking into Manafort were getting hacked.


There is IMO more than enough smoke and circumstantial evidence to suggest there was more than Trump being a useful idiot to Putin. I don't think Trump is smart enough to actually seek aid but he at the very least has not vetted or questioned the motivations of people advising him.
 

sprsk

force push the doodoo rock
The "comey is working for the republicans" angle makes no sense when you consider he could have pulled the trigger on hillary earlier this year and didn't. Besides, he may be the director but he's just one man. Plus, obama himself said that comey isn't working for the republicans.

I'm just saying that it sounds suspicious that this comes out now, a week before the election, when the numbers are not as comfortable for hillary, and hillary has a prepared statement and breakdown ready to go. Even if they withheld revealing it until it was politically necessary that seems counter to the best interests of the american people. It should have been investigated by the official channels earlier.

I mean he couldn't have prosecuted her even if he wanted to, doesn't necessarily mean he's not trying to sway the election for the Republicans.
 

Chittagong

Gold Member
Well. the only policy he's stuck with is his sunshine approach to Russia, to the point of making blatant lies to justify it. Not to mention how recently, Russia can't help but vaunt itself towards Trump. The rest is a large series of strings that all seem to link Trump to Russian powerhouses.

And both sides have strenuously denied any connection. This isn't about a private line, it is about a secret line. This is not normal.

He can't just pick up a phone? He needs a secret server?

I get that it's not normal, but consider that he had to be caught on the record saying flat out that he does unwanted advances towards women before that whole line of critique had any impact on his prospects, despite all kinds of evidence floating around. Similarly here anything short of him being caught on record saying to Putin "I'll fuck shit up for you" is unlikely to have any material impact.
 
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