The U.S. intelligence community believes the Kremlin will direct its propaganda efforts to support former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election, an intelligence official indicated on a media call Monday.

Iran is likely to continue to try to denigrate Trump, the official said, and China doesn’t appear to have a preference in the presidential race but may try to interfere in congressional races.

The call, held by the Foreign Malign Influence Center, one of the few arms of the U.S. government devoted to countering foreign propaganda campaigns, elaborated on an agency alert about foreign propaganda campaigns released Monday afternoon.

The official’s remarks were the clearest sign yet that the U.S. believes Trump remains Russia’s preferred candidate even after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee.

  • MagicShel
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    5 months ago

    When Putin is finally defenestrated once and for all, I’m curious to see how greatly that will affect geopolitics. Like, is Putin some kind of genius here, or will his apparatus be easily inherited by a successor?

    • ✺roguetrick✺@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      No dictator holds absolute power, but divides it under him to counterbalance his supporters. All those supporters think they deserve everything and said counterbalance generally doesn’t allow them to squeeze seize it cleanly. The oligarchy will likely try to use a cutout they think they can control.

      • Promethiel@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        I wonder if any of the sycophants remaining to stare at the dangling keys to power like mesmerized toddlers would even retain the presence and ability to scheme.

        That’s one long cultivated and pruned garden of shitbaggery with a history of rich men whose abilities extend to amassing stolen wealth and an inability to handle windows. How many Kingmakers could possibly remain?

        The whole house of cards may fall after time’s dues are paid and Putin finally runs out of track to run away from his pedestrian mortality.

        Not willing to entertain bets on whether that will be the time of changes or more “and then it got worse” though.