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White House announces retaliation against Russia: Sanctions, ejecting diplomats
(CNN)President Barack Obama took unprecedented steps Thursday to retaliate against alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election, prompting vows from Russian authorities that Moscow will respond in kind.
The administration described Russia's involvement as "Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities" and sanctioned six Russian individuals and five Russian entities, as well as ordering dozens of Russian diplomats to leave the country. This is the first time the names of Russian officials involved in the hacking have become public on the sanctions list.
"Russia's cyberactivities were intended to influence the election, erode faith in US democratic institutions, sow doubt about the integrity of our electoral process, and undermine confidence in the institutions of the US government," a White House statement said. "These actions are unacceptable and will not be tolerated."
According to statements from the White House and the Treasury Department, the government has sanctioned nine entities and individuals over their alleged interference in the election: the GRU and the FSB, two Russian intelligence services; four individual officers of the GRU; three companies that provided material support to the GRU's operations. The US also sanctioned two Russian individuals for using cyber-enabled means to cause misappropriation of funds and personal identifying information.
Two of the individuals on the sanctions list, Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev and Alexey Belan, are on the FBI wanted list as well.
Obama also said in the statement announcing that the diplomats have been ordered to leave the country, that those individuals and their families were given 72 hours to leave the United States.
"These actions follow repeated private and public warnings that we have issued to the Russian government, and are a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm US interests in violation of established international norms of behavior," Obama said in the statement.
Russia's reaction
Russia swiftly responded to the actions Thursday. Russia will respond to any "hostile steps" that the US may take in response to allegations of hacking during the 2016 election, according to the official representative for the ministry.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said similar steps will be taken in response to the expulsions, though she did not immediately provide further details. Dmitri Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, told reporters there is "no alternative to reciprocal measures," adding that Putin is "in no rush to make a decision."
And Russia's embassy in the UK tweeted that Obama's actions were "Cold War deja vu" described the administration as "hapless."
Soon after the administration's announcement, Russia's embassy in the UK tweeted that Obama's actions were "Cold War deja vu" and described the administration as "hapless."
diplomats in Cold War deja vu. As everybody, incl 
people, will be glad to see the last of this hapless Adm.
“Such steps of the US administration that has three weeks left to work are aimed at two things: to further harm Russian-American ties, which are at a low point as it is, as well as, obviously, deal a blow on the foreign policy plans of the incoming administration of the President-elect,” he said. - Dmitry Peskov
Congressional Republicans split with Trump
President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that Americans should "get on with our lives" when he was asked about the expected White House announcement to place sanctions on Russia.
"I think we ought to get on with our lives," he told reporters Wednesday night at the Mar-a-Lago in West Palm Beach, Florida. "I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly. The whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what is going on. We have speed, we have a lot of other things, but I'm not sure we have the kind, the security we need."
A senior Obama administration official acknowledged to reporters Thursday that Trump could reverse the sanctions by executive order, but added, "I don't think it'd make a lot of sense."
The President-elect's statements also split with Republican leaders on Capitol Hill.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, called the sanctions "overdue," adding that it is an "appropriate way to end eight years of failed policy with Russia."
"Russia does not share America's interests," he said in a statement Thursday. "In fact, it has consistently sought to undermine them, sowing dangerous instability around the world. While today's action by the administration is overdue, it is an appropriate way to end eight years of failed policy with Russia. And it serves as a prime example of this administration's ineffective foreign policy that has left America weaker in the eyes of the world."
Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham, two of Russia's fiercest critics in the US Senate, called for stronger sanctions against Russia.
"The retaliatory measures announced by the Obama administration today are long overdue. But ultimately, they are a small price for Russia to pay for its brazen attack on American democracy. We intend to lead the effort in the new Congress to impose stronger sanctions on Russia," the two said in a joint statement.
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper issued a statement on Thursday reiterating the agency's confidence that the Russian government was involved in the US hacking.
"This activity by Russian intelligence services is part of a decade-long campaign of cyber-enabled operations directed at the US Government and its citizens," the statement read. "The US Government can confirm that the Russian government, including Russia's civilian and military intelligence services, conducted many of the activities generally described by a number of these security companies."
Months of internal debate
The administration's announcement comes after months of internal debate over how to respond to Russian hacking that US law enforcement and intelligence agencies have watched take place for over a year.
The US government announced in October that it was "confident" that the Russian government orchestrated the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and other political organizations of the Democratic Party to influence the 2016 election.
Those hacks resulted in the public release of thousands of stolen emails, many of which included damaging revelations about the Democratic Party and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the party's nominee.
The hacking of DNC emails eventually led to the resignation of former chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz after emails showed her favoring Clinton over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders during the Democratic primary.
Earlier this month, the CIA announced to a group of senators that the hacks were aimed to help elect Trump as president.
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - (AFP) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff launched a blistering attack on the United States Tuesday at the United Nations over America's widespread spying on her country.
September 24, 2013, 7:59 a.m.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff used her lead-off speech at the annual United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to blast the United States for operating a worldwide spying network that she said violates the sovereignty of other countries and the civil liberties of their citizens.
Rousseff had already signaled her nation's outrage over reports of National Security Agency data interceptions in Brazil by canceling a summit and state dinner with President Obama that had been set for late October.
"What we have before us is a serious case of violation of human rights and civil liberties," Rousseff told the assembly immediately after opening pleasantries.
She described arguments that the technological surveillance of individuals, businesses and diplomatic missions is necessary in the global fight against terrorism as "untenable" and an affront to the sovereignty of nations.
"Brazil can protect itself," Rousseff declared. "Brazil doesn’t provide shelter to terrorist groups."
Rousseff never mentioned Obama or the NSA by name but said her nation's dismay over "this case of disrespect" had been communicated to Washington, along with its insistence that Brazil "cannot possibly allow recurring and illegal actions to go on as if normal practice."
Since July, Brazilian news organization Globo has published three reports based on documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, which alleged that the United States had spied on Brazilian citizens, Rousseff herself, as well as important state-run oil company, Petrobras.
Rousseff has strongly denounced the alleged eavesdropping and asked Obama for a public apology and concrete actions to curb it.
The decision to cancel the Washington trip, a rare diplomatic snub of the United States, was well received in many parts of Brazil, especially in the base of her left-of-center Workers Party, many of whose members have memories of a U.S.-backed military dictatorship that spied on dissidents.
ALSO:
Twitter: @cjwilliamslat
Staff writer Williams reported from Los Angeles and special correspondent Bevins from Sao Paulo.
The American people are a paranoid bunch manipulated by their government. Too much interbreeding in the USA.
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font redaction latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-un-brazil-rousseff-nsa-spying-20130924,0,4956585.story
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - (AFP) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff launched a blistering attack on the United States Tuesday at the United Nations over America's widespread spying on her country.
September 24, 2013, 7:59 a.m.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff used her lead-off speech at the annual United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to blast the United States for operating a worldwide spying network that she said violates the sovereignty of other countries and the civil liberties of their citizens.
Rousseff had already signaled her nation's outrage over reports of National Security Agency data interceptions in Brazil by canceling a summit and state dinner with President Obama that had been set for late October.
"What we have before us is a serious case of violation of human rights and civil liberties," Rousseff told the assembly immediately after opening pleasantries.
She described arguments that the technological surveillance of individuals, businesses and diplomatic missions is necessary in the global fight against terrorism as "untenable" and an affront to the sovereignty of nations.
"Brazil can protect itself," Rousseff declared. "Brazil doesn’t provide shelter to terrorist groups."
Rousseff never mentioned Obama or the NSA by name but said her nation's dismay over "this case of disrespect" had been communicated to Washington, along with its insistence that Brazil "cannot possibly allow recurring and illegal actions to go on as if normal practice."
Since July, Brazilian news organization Globo has published three reports based on documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, which alleged that the United States had spied on Brazilian citizens, Rousseff herself, as well as important state-run oil company, Petrobras.
Rousseff has strongly denounced the alleged eavesdropping and asked Obama for a public apology and concrete actions to curb it.
The decision to cancel the Washington trip, a rare diplomatic snub of the United States, was well received in many parts of Brazil, especially in the base of her left-of-center Workers Party, many of whose members have memories of a U.S.-backed military dictatorship that spied on dissidents.
ALSO:
Twitter: @cjwilliamslat
Staff writer Williams reported from Los Angeles and special correspondent Bevins from Sao Paulo.
The American people are a paranoid bunch manipulated by their government. Too much interbreeding in the USA.
Comments are filtered for language and registration is required. The Times makes no guarantee of comments' factual accuracy. Readers may report inappropriate comments by clicking the Report Abuse link next to a comment. Here are the full legal terms you agree to by using this comment form.
font images Google
font redaction latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-un-brazil-rousseff-nsa-spying-20130924,0,4956585.story
Edward Snowden's explosive NSA leaks have US in damage control mode
Edward Snowden's explosive NSA leaks have US in damage control mode
White House refers Snowden's case to Justice Department while Republicans in Congress call for whistleblower's extradition
Washington was struggling to contain one of the most explosive national security leaks in US history on Monday, as public criticism grew of the sweeping surveillance state revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Political opinion was split, with some members of Congress calling for the immediate extradition of a man they consider a "defector" but other senior politicians from both parties questioning whether US surveillance practices had gone too far.
Daniel Ellsberg, the former military analyst who revealed secrets of the Vietnam war through the so-called Pentagon Papers in 1971, described Snowden's leak as even more important and perhaps the most significant leak in American history.
In London, the British foreign secretary, William Hague, was forced to defend the UK's use of intelligence gathered by the US. Other European leaders also voiced concern.
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is expected to grill Obama next week, during a much-awaited summit in Berlin. Peter Schaar, Germany's federal data protection commissioner, told the Guardian it was unacceptable for the US authorities to have access to EU citizens' data, and that the level of protection is lower than that guaranteed to US citizens.
In Washington, the Obama administration offered no indication on Monday about what it intended to do about Snowden, who was praised by privacy campaigners but condemned by some US politicians keen for him to be extradited from Hong Kong and put on trial.
The White House made no comment beyond a short statement released by a spokesman for the US director of national intelligence on Sunday. Shawn Turner said Snowden's case had been referred to the Justice Department, and that US intelligence was assessing the damage caused by the disclosures.
"Any person who has a security clearance knows that he or she has an obligation to protect classified information and abide by the law," Turner said.
Snowden disclosed his identity in an explosive interview with the Guardian, published on Sunday. He revealed he was a 29-year-old former technical assistant for the CIA and current employee of the defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. Snowden worked at the National Security Agency for the past four years as an employee of various outside contractors, including Booz Allen and Dell.
He left for Hong Kong on 20 May. He chose Hong Kong because "they have a spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent".
In his interview, Snowden revealed himself as the source for a series of articles in the Guardian last week, which included disclosures of a wide-ranging secret court order that demanded Verizon pass to the NSA the details of phone calls related to millions of customers, and a huge NSA intelligence system called Prism, which collects data on intelligence targets from the systems of some of the biggest tech companies.
Snowden said he had become disillusioned with the overarching nature of government surveillance in the US. "The government has granted itself power it is not entitled to. There is no public oversight. The result is people like myself have the latitude to go further than they are allowed to," he said.
"My sole motive is to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them."
Snowden drew support from civil liberty activists and organisations. Ellsberg wrote for the Guardian: "In my estimation, there has not been in American history a more important leak than Edward Snowden's release of NSA material – and that definitely includes the Pentagon Papers 40 years ago".
Thomas Drake, a former NSA executive who famously leaked information about what he considered a wasteful data-mining program at the agency, said of Snowden: "He's extraordinarily brave and courageous."
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, an internet rights group, called for a "new Church committee" to investigate potential government infringements on privacy and to write new rules protecting the public. In the wake of the Watergate affair in the mid-1970s, a Senate investigation led by Idaho senator Frank Church uncovered decades of serious abuse by the US government of its eavesdropping powers. The committee report led to the passage of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and set up the Fisa courts that today secretly approve surveillance requests.
Both Snowden and the Obama administration appeared to be considering their options on Monday. Hong Kong is unlikely to offer Snowden a permanent refuge, but Snowden could buy time by filing an asylum request, thanks to a landmark legal ruling that has thrown the system into disarray.
For years, Hong Kong has relied on the United Nations refugee agency to handle the bulk of claims. But in March its court of final appeal ruled that the government must independently screen cases. No system for processing the claims is yet in place.
China-watchers also wonder if Beijing would wish to become publicly involved in such a high-profile case – particularly given China's doctrine of non-interference in other countries' domestic affairs, and that it comes days after a meeting between presidents Xi Jinping and Barack Obama, as the countries seek to improve bilateral relations.
In New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg cancelled at very short notice a planned photo opportunity with the Hong Kong chief executive, Leung Chun-ying. "It would have been a circus, so we decided to catch up with him another time," a mayoral spokesman told the Guardian.
Shares in Snowden's employer, Booz Allen, fell on Monday by 61¢, or 3.4%, in midday trading, a slight recovery from a 5% drop earlier in the session.
In a statement on Sunday, the company said it has employed Snowden for less than three months on a team in Hawaii. It added that it is working with clients and authorities to investigate the leaks. "News reports that this individual has claimed to have leaked classified information are shocking, and if accurate, this action represents a grave violation of the code of conduct and core values of our firm," the statement said.
Booz Allen Hamilton is a consultant to government and corporate clients. About 23% of its revenue, or $1.3bn, came from US intelligence agencies last year. The company has said in SEC filings that security breaches could materially hurt results.
Additional reporting by Matt Williams and Tom McCarthy in New York, and the Associated Press
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Font redaction guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/10/white-house-nsa-leaks-edward-snowden
White House refers Snowden's case to Justice Department while Republicans in Congress call for whistleblower's extradition
Washington was struggling to contain one of the most explosive national security leaks in US history on Monday, as public criticism grew of the sweeping surveillance state revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Political opinion was split, with some members of Congress calling for the immediate extradition of a man they consider a "defector" but other senior politicians from both parties questioning whether US surveillance practices had gone too far.
Daniel Ellsberg, the former military analyst who revealed secrets of the Vietnam war through the so-called Pentagon Papers in 1971, described Snowden's leak as even more important and perhaps the most significant leak in American history.
In London, the British foreign secretary, William Hague, was forced to defend the UK's use of intelligence gathered by the US. Other European leaders also voiced concern.
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is expected to grill Obama next week, during a much-awaited summit in Berlin. Peter Schaar, Germany's federal data protection commissioner, told the Guardian it was unacceptable for the US authorities to have access to EU citizens' data, and that the level of protection is lower than that guaranteed to US citizens.
In Washington, the Obama administration offered no indication on Monday about what it intended to do about Snowden, who was praised by privacy campaigners but condemned by some US politicians keen for him to be extradited from Hong Kong and put on trial.
The White House made no comment beyond a short statement released by a spokesman for the US director of national intelligence on Sunday. Shawn Turner said Snowden's case had been referred to the Justice Department, and that US intelligence was assessing the damage caused by the disclosures.
"Any person who has a security clearance knows that he or she has an obligation to protect classified information and abide by the law," Turner said.
Snowden disclosed his identity in an explosive interview with the Guardian, published on Sunday. He revealed he was a 29-year-old former technical assistant for the CIA and current employee of the defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. Snowden worked at the National Security Agency for the past four years as an employee of various outside contractors, including Booz Allen and Dell.
He left for Hong Kong on 20 May. He chose Hong Kong because "they have a spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent".
In his interview, Snowden revealed himself as the source for a series of articles in the Guardian last week, which included disclosures of a wide-ranging secret court order that demanded Verizon pass to the NSA the details of phone calls related to millions of customers, and a huge NSA intelligence system called Prism, which collects data on intelligence targets from the systems of some of the biggest tech companies.
Snowden said he had become disillusioned with the overarching nature of government surveillance in the US. "The government has granted itself power it is not entitled to. There is no public oversight. The result is people like myself have the latitude to go further than they are allowed to," he said.
"My sole motive is to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them."
Snowden drew support from civil liberty activists and organisations. Ellsberg wrote for the Guardian: "In my estimation, there has not been in American history a more important leak than Edward Snowden's release of NSA material – and that definitely includes the Pentagon Papers 40 years ago".
Thomas Drake, a former NSA executive who famously leaked information about what he considered a wasteful data-mining program at the agency, said of Snowden: "He's extraordinarily brave and courageous."
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, an internet rights group, called for a "new Church committee" to investigate potential government infringements on privacy and to write new rules protecting the public. In the wake of the Watergate affair in the mid-1970s, a Senate investigation led by Idaho senator Frank Church uncovered decades of serious abuse by the US government of its eavesdropping powers. The committee report led to the passage of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and set up the Fisa courts that today secretly approve surveillance requests.
Both Snowden and the Obama administration appeared to be considering their options on Monday. Hong Kong is unlikely to offer Snowden a permanent refuge, but Snowden could buy time by filing an asylum request, thanks to a landmark legal ruling that has thrown the system into disarray.
For years, Hong Kong has relied on the United Nations refugee agency to handle the bulk of claims. But in March its court of final appeal ruled that the government must independently screen cases. No system for processing the claims is yet in place.
China-watchers also wonder if Beijing would wish to become publicly involved in such a high-profile case – particularly given China's doctrine of non-interference in other countries' domestic affairs, and that it comes days after a meeting between presidents Xi Jinping and Barack Obama, as the countries seek to improve bilateral relations.
In New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg cancelled at very short notice a planned photo opportunity with the Hong Kong chief executive, Leung Chun-ying. "It would have been a circus, so we decided to catch up with him another time," a mayoral spokesman told the Guardian.
Shares in Snowden's employer, Booz Allen, fell on Monday by 61¢, or 3.4%, in midday trading, a slight recovery from a 5% drop earlier in the session.
In a statement on Sunday, the company said it has employed Snowden for less than three months on a team in Hawaii. It added that it is working with clients and authorities to investigate the leaks. "News reports that this individual has claimed to have leaked classified information are shocking, and if accurate, this action represents a grave violation of the code of conduct and core values of our firm," the statement said.
Booz Allen Hamilton is a consultant to government and corporate clients. About 23% of its revenue, or $1.3bn, came from US intelligence agencies last year. The company has said in SEC filings that security breaches could materially hurt results.
Additional reporting by Matt Williams and Tom McCarthy in New York, and the Associated Press
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Font redaction guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/10/white-house-nsa-leaks-edward-snowden
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