FBI investigates Russian hack as Democrat bigwigs ‘feel the Bern’

26 Jul 2016

Bernie Sanders has appealed for voters to back Clinton as the only option against Donald Trump becoming US president

The FBI has been brought in to investigate whether Russian hackers are to blame for revealing an embarrassing trove of emails that show Democratic National Committee (DNC) members actively undermined Bernie Sanders’ campaign in favour of Hillary Clinton.

At a time when so much is at stake, and Donald Trump has a fair chance at winning the US presidential race, allegations that Democratic party bosses actively undermined one of their most popular candidates is becoming too much for supporters of the party, contributing to an embarrassing feud.

There have been suggestions that the powers that be in Russia – right up to Russian president Vladimir Putin – are in favour of a Donald Trump win, and this could be the reason for the emails coming to light.

‘A compromise of this nature is something we take very seriously, and the FBI will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who pose a threat in cyberspace’
– FBI

On Friday, more than 19,000 DNC emails were revealed on the Wikileaks website, putting the spotlight on Sanders’ complaints during the campaign that the party establishment was working to undermine him.

 

At the DNC convention in Philadelphia last night, fans of Sanders booed when he called on them to elect Hillary Clinton and her running mate, Senator Tim Kaine.

“Brothers and sisters, this is the real world that we live in,” Sanders said. “Trump is a bully and a demagogue.”

“So is Hillary,” and, “She stole the election,” were the responses from the convention crowd.

“The FBI is investigating a cyber intrusion involving the DNC and are working to determine the nature and scope of the matter,” the FBI said in a statement.

“A compromise of this nature is something we take very seriously, and the FBI will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who pose a threat in cyberspace.”

Blame the Russians

Newspapers like The New York Times have gone so far as to suggest that Russian intelligence agencies played a role in disrupting the 2016 presidential campaign.

The emails were first released by a hacker and then by Wikileaks, and exposed the degree to which the DNC apparatus favoured Clinton over Sanders. The revelations have triggered the resignation of Debbie Wasserman Schultz, party chairwoman, on the eve of the convention in Philadelphia.

Metadata points to two Russian intelligence agencies that were involved in previous attacks on the state department and the joint chiefs of staff last year.

Bernie Sanders image via Shutterstock

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com