Conservative media figures are embracing a wild WikiLeaks conspiracy theory that the CIA hacked the DNC, and then framed Russia
It didn’t take even 48 hours for an online conspiracy theory to make its way from the reply section of the WikiLeaks Twitter account to the prime-time airwaves on Fox News and top conservative radio programs.
On Tuesday, WikiLeaks released a batch of apparent CIA documents describing the agency’s extensive cybersecurity and hacking capabilities, which appear to allow agents to hack into a variety of smart, internet-collected devices.
And as WikiLeaks began promoting its most interesting documents, a conspiracy theory was born.
The theory appeared to emerge first on WikiLeaks’ Twitter account about an hour after the group released the Vault 7 documents. WikiLeaks highlighted the alleged abilities for CIA hackers to leave behind trails that resemble other hackers.
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There are reports in media outlets from The New York Times to Fox News showing in detail Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election, including the hack and release of DNC and Podesta emails. Numerous US intelligence and law enforcement agencies have all also blamed Russia for the hacks.
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But this information didn’t stop the theory from picking up steam among many prominent online supporters of President Donald Trump, including social-media figures like radio host Bill Mitchell and Ann Coulter.
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The theory spread so fast conservative radio giant Rush Limbaugh had time to tout it on his show on March 7, when he denied Trump had any Russian campaign ties to Russia.
“The CIA has the ability to hack anybody they want and make it look like the Russians are doing it or make it look like the ChiComs are doing it or make it look like the Israelis are doing it,” Limbaugh said, using a slang term for Chinese communists.
He continued: “They have the ability to mask and mock various other state actors and make it look like — so I think because of everything that we’re learning here, the danger that Donald Trump has faced ever since he won the election is greater than we’ve ever known. And it is obvious to me that this whole business — well, I say obvious, I’m leaning toward being near certain that this entire pretext of Trump working with the Russians to affect the outcome of the election, folks, it is so ridiculous.”
Right-wing sites weren’t the only ones spreading the theory.
It was picked up by Russian state-sponsored English media outlets like Sputnik, which gleefully mocked “evidence-free” accusations that Russia hacked the election, linking to tweets “chock-full of sarcasm and memes” about the CIA’s capabilities.
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Despite Fox News’ previous reporting that Russia hacked the DNC, Tuesday’s theory made its television debut during Hannity’s primetime Fox News show on Wednesday, when Hannity asked several guests about the theory, citing a Breitbart piece titled “WikiLeaks: CIA Uses ‘Stolen’ Malware To ‘Attribute’ Cyberattacks To Nations Like Russia.”
But it breached fully into the mainstream when Fox News host Sean Hannity floated the idea on Wednesday, first on his radio show, then on his Twitter account.
“The CIA, according to these WikiLeaks leaks, uses stolen malware to attribute cyberattacks to nations like Russia,” Hannity told radio listeners. “In other words, what they’re saying is the CIA can actually blame Russia for an attack on an American, because they’ll put their fingerprints all over the attack. Meanwhile it came from within.”
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Hannity, who did not immediately return a request for comment, mocked critics on his Thursday radio show: “‘Hannity you’ve become a conspiracy theorist!’ No, I’ve become a realist,” he said.
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- Discussion
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Nothing better than a pro-Russia conspiracy theory to expose delusion of @seanhannity, @rushlimbaugh & @AnnCoulter. https://t.co/PU772bcTRM
— Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) March 10, 2017
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