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Lavrov on Mueller indictment: 'Until there are facts, it's all just blather'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov talks at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, February 17, 2018

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov talks at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, February 17, 2018
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has again dismissed claims of Russian meddling in the US election, saying that until facts are presented by Washington, they are nothing but "blather."

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday, he said that "Until we see facts, everything else will be just blather." When asked to comment on the indictment of Russian nationals and companies in the US over alleged meddling in the 2016 US election, the foreign minister answered: "You know, I have no reaction at all because one can publish anything he wants. We see how accusations, statements, statements are multiplying."

On Friday, a US federal grand jury indicted 13 Russian nationals and three entities accused of interfering in the 2016 election and political processes. According to the indictment, those people were "supporting the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald J. Trump... and disparaging Hillary Clinton" as they staged political rallies and bought political advertising, while posing as grassroots entities.

Comment: The Russia election meddling accusations have been absurd from the get-go. They'll always be blather and we'll never see facts supporting the accusations because they simply don't exist.

The good news, at least, is that people are becoming more and more aware that the mainstream media is lying to them and that this entire charade is a witch hunt conducted by the deep state.


Blackbox

Can Israel digest Putin's grand bargain?

Netanyahu and Putin
"Israel is climbing up a high horse," Alex Fishman (the veteran Israeli Defence Correspondent) wrote in the Hebrew daily, Yedioth Ahronoth, last month, "and is approaching with giant steps a 'war of choice': Without mincing words, it's an initiated war in Lebanon." In Fishman's article, he notes: "Classical deterrence is when you threaten an enemy not to harm you in your territory, but here, Israel demands that the enemy refrain from doing something in its own territory, otherwise Israel will harm it. From a historical perspective and from the perspective of international legitimacy, the chances of this threat being accepted as valid, leading to the cessation of enemy activities in its own territory, are slim."

Ben Caspit also wrote about a fair prospect of a "war of choice," whilst a Haaretz editorial - explains Professor Idan Landau in an Israeli news blog - noted: "The Israeli government therefore owes Israeli citizens a precise, pertinent and persuasive explanation as to why a missile factory in Lebanon has changed the strategic balance to the extent that it requires going to war. It must present assessments to the Israeli public as to the expected number of casualties, damage to civilian infrastructure and the economic cost of going to war, as compared with the danger that construction of the missile factory constitutes."

We live dangerous times in the Middle East today - both in the immediate present, and in the mid-term, too.

Eye 2

US embassy officials suffered "widespread brain network dysfunction" after mystery "high pitched noise" in Cuba

US embassy in Cuba
© Alexandre Meneghini / Reuters
US embassy, Cuba
More than two dozen U.S. personnel appeared to have suffered "widespread brain network dysfunction" while working at the U.S. embassy in Cuba, according to a new medical report.

The Journal of the American Medical Association published a report Wednesday detailing what they call a "neurotrauma from a nonnatural source" experienced by Americans while in Havana.

According to the U.S. State Department, 24 Americans experienced these mysterious "health attacks" which has left medical officials baffled for more than a year now. After the incidents, the U.S. withdrew most of their diplomats and officials out of Havana.

Comment: Considering the US' history with all kinds of covert weapons and warfare against other nations and those of its own people, including in its own government, there is a strong likelihood the source of the attack came from within:


Attention

Hezbollah can retaliate against Israeli offshore oil and gas operations

Israeli gas platform
© Amir Cohen / Reuters
An Israeli gas platform is seen in the back as a sailor in the Israeli navy stands aboard a patrol boat in the Mediterranean sea some 15 miles (24 km) west of the port city of Ashdod February 25, 2013.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has threatened to attack Israel's offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling operations in yet another escalation in the two countries' increasingly hostile war of words.

During a televised address in Beirut on Friday, Nasrallah said Hezbollah could "disable [Israel's offshore oil installations] within hours."

"If you prevent us, we prevent you; if you open fire at us, we will open fire," he added during a ceremony commemorating the death of Imad Mughniyeh, the party's former military commander who was assassinated in Damascus in 2008.

Light Sabers

Indictment of 13 Russians for social media ads reveals how desperate Mueller is

Trump Clinton
© Shannon Stapleton / Reuters
The indictment of 13 Russian nationals over alleged meddling in US elections describes methods allegedly used by the defendants. Some of them are truly strange, suggesting cartoon villainy rather than a master plot.

According to the indictment, the parties in question formulated a number of plans to support the campaign of President Donald Trump and disparage former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Their plans included political rallies and posing as grassroots groups. However, the examples provided in the document raise questions about how they could have ever been effective in swaying the election.

In a nutshell, the plan was to hold rallies for and against both Clinton and Trump and to promote social media groups focusing on political and social issues.

Comment: Further reading:


Info

Russia's UK ambassador reveals Boris Johnson refused Moscow sit-down to discuss allegations of Brexit vote meddling

Boris Johnson
© Stefan Rousseau / Reuters
The Russian Embassy has called out Boris Johnson over accusations made in UK parliament that Russians meddled in the EU referendum. Boris was allegedly invited to discuss the allegations during his trip to Moscow, but refused.

The Russian Ambassador to the UK, Alexander Yakovenko, told RT's Going Underground program that the foreign secretary was asked to sit down with Russian officials to discuss claims that Russia interfered in the 2016 EU referendum.

Yakovenko told host Afshin Rattansi that the foreign secretary's response was a flat-out "No".

When asked about the UK allegations into vote tampering, Yakovenko's answer was simple: "No - and I'll tell you why - because there are no facts."

"What is interesting...Boris Johnson was in Moscow on the 22nd of December and we discussed this problem," Yakovenko said.

Arrow Down

Trump proposes 'overhaul' of USPS retirement & health benefits in savings package

global cooling California snow ice
© Rich Pedroncelli/AP
Postal worker Rex Harrison unloads his vehicle at the post office at Soda Springs, Calif., in 2016.
President Trump proposed overhauling the U.S. Postal Service in his fiscal 2019 budget released Monday, calling for a slew of changes that would provide the agency with an additional $80 billion over 10 years.

Trump's proposals largely mirrored those submitted in his last budget, as well as legislation that has been introduced in Congress. While lawmakers have sought to maintain delivery standards, however, Trump would allow USPS to "reduce mail delivery frequency from six days to five days where there is a business case for doing so." That proposal would likely face pushback in Congress, especially from lawmakers representing rural areas, and even postal management has dropped its proposal to eliminate mail delivery on Saturdays.

Mr. Potato

Makes sense? Mueller says Russian 'agents' organized rallies for both Hillary and Trump

FBI Robert Mueller
The mainstream media's year-long narrative that the Trump campaign "colluded" with Russian officials continued to crumble Friday, with special counsel Robert Mueller's indictment claiming foreign agents held anti-Trump, pro-Hillary rallies in 2016.

Mueller's court filings show 13 Russian nationals attempted to sow chaos throughout the election cycle and beyond; holding competing events for both Trump and Clinton on the same day in the same city.

"On one day, Nov. 12, 2016, the defendants organized a rally in New York to 'show your support for President-elect Donald Trump' while at the same time organizing a 'Trump is NOT my president rally' that also was held in New York," writes CNBC.

NBC News also reports that the Russian agents held a "Support Hillary" rally in July 2016 in Washington, DC.

The bombshell revelations throw even more cold water on the liberal conspiracy theory that President Trump and his staff "colluded" with Russian officials to steal the election from Hillary Clinton; just one of many excuses commonly touted by the former Secretary of State following her stunning defeat.

Comment: The Mueller team's narrative is that the Russians conspired to 'create chaos' (as if America needed any help with that), thus their alleged support for both parties. However, as Virginia State Senator Richard Black told RT, if you want to influence an election you do it in favour of one or another party; "creating chaos" simply does not achieve anything.

More on the indictments story:


Quenelle

Hungary rejects the UN's position that mass migration has a positive effect

Migrants arrive in Italy
© photofilippo66 / Shutterstock.com
Migrants arrive in Italy
Janos Lazar, Hungary's chief of the prime minister's office, said he rejects the UN's position that migration has a positive effect on the economy.

Although there's a difference of opinion, the chief of the government office said his country will continue talks with the UN about the current migrant package.

According to Lazar the plans to "remove legal or physical barriers and open up borders" are unacceptable. He added that "making migration organised, continuous, and legitimate" is against Hungary's interests.

Comment: Hungary isn't the only country defying the destructive mass migration policies of the UN and EU: Also check out SOTT radio's: The Truth Perspective: Weapons of Mass Migration: Interview with Michael Springmann on Europe's Migrant Crisis


Bullseye

Virginia State Senator Richard Black: Mueller indicted 13 Russians to drag probe out and keep his position (VIDEO)

Muellerfingers
© Win McNamee/Getty Images
FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller
By indicting Russian nationals and entities for meddling in the 2016 US election, FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller seeks to drag the probe out for his own gain, Virginia State Senator Richard Black told RT.

Thirteen Russian individuals and three entities, were accused of attempting to advance the presidential bid of Donald Trump and tarnish the reputation of Hillary Clinton with the ultimate goal to "spread distrust towards the candidates and the political system in general." However, none of the activities described in the indictment were able to sway the vote, US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein told media.


Comment: More on this latest round of anti-Russian hysteria: