Comment: Long War Journal is part of neoconservative think tank Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

RT reports:

This is by no means the full extent of the data retrieved in the raid, according to the CIA's statements, as many of the files are being withheld for national security reasons, or they have become corrupted.

Other materials being held back include copyrighted works, pornography and malware. Among the copyrighted materials are such titles as: 'Antz,' 'Batman,' 'Cars,' 'Chicken Little,' and 'Resident Evil.' Interestingly, the former world's most wanted man also kept track of his public image and kept several documentaries and media specials about himself on file.

Oddly enough, Bin Laden also kept multiple Tom & Jerry cartoons on his hard drives and also downloaded the viral video, 'Charlie bit my finger.'

From the CIA:

The CIA today released to the public nearly 470,000 additional files recovered in the May 2011 raid on Usama Bin Ladin's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. CIA Director Mike Pompeo authorized the release in the interest of transparency and to enhance public understanding of al-Qa'ida and its former leader.

The material contains audio, document, image, video and software operating system files. The material is posted in the original Arabic and in as close to the original form as possible, modified only so the files cannot be edited. Among other things, this release includes:

-Usama Bin Ladin's personal journal and more than 18,000 document files.

-Approximately 79,000 audio and image files, which include practice reels for public speeches, audio correspondence, and imagery gathered or generated by al-Qa'ida for a variety of purposes.

-More than 10,000 video files, which include a video of Hamza Bin Ladin as a young adult, al-Qa'ida "home videos," draft videos or statements by Usama Bin Ladin, and jihadist propaganda.

These materials, like those in previous releases, provide insights into the origins of fissures that exist today between al-Qa'ida and ISIS; as well as strategic, doctrinal and religious disagreements within al-Qa'ida and its allies; and hardships that al-Qa'ida faced at the time of Bin Ladin's death. Other themes in the materials include:

-Al-Qa'ida's preparations to commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and the group's attempts to promulgate its message through Western media.
-Al-Qa'ida's efforts to exploit the Arab Awakening for its benefit and that of the global jihad.
-Bin Ladin's efforts to maintain unity within the group and among its affiliates, despite disagreements over tactics and doctrine.
-Al-Qa'ida's efforts to rehabilitate its tarnished image among Muslims due its mistakes and negative media portrayals.

Comment: Sadly, it's easy to sell wars to a public that uncritically consumes whatever the mainstream media feeds it. See: Americans Love Perpetual Wars.

Comment: The Gestapo-style questioning didn't end there from the Deep State agents in the US Congress. A number of Congressmen accused the social media companies of conspiring with Russia to undermine US democracy without a shred of evidence, while comparing Russia to a fascist dictatorship, which is a blatant falsification of reality:

"With the current fascist leadership of Russia enthusiastically undermining our democracy, America must defend the values that made us great and aggressively confront this espionage,"said Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon).

"Last year, Russia was beginning its covert influence campaign against the United States and Twitter was on the side of Russia, as opposed to the national security interests of the United States," said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), calling on the social media companies to work with the CIA.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) joined Cotton in calling on the companies to enact harsh measures aimed at foiling potential future meddling.

"What we're talking about is the beginning of cyber warfare. What we're talking about is a major foreign power with the sophistication and ability to involve themselves in a presidential election and sow conflict and discontent all over this country," she said. "You have to be the ones to do something about it, or we will."

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia) claimed that alleged Russian attempts to meddle in US affairs are a constant phenomenon, without offering any evidence for his claims.

"Russians have been conducting information warfare for decades," Warner said. "They did it during the 2016 presidential campaign, and are still doing it now."

RT has provided a list of its most promoted tweets and it is illuminating. The top promoted tweet in September 2016 linked to a story about a fish lizard skeleton of a creature that inhabited the planet during the Jurassic period. How much money was spent? A staggering $286. The top promoted tweet in October 2016 was a tweet about the Iraqi army getting ready for the Mosul offensive. RT spent $719 on it. The top tweet in November 2016, at the height of the elections, was of Russia deploying anti-ship missiles to its Far Eastern Kuril Islands, with some $217 spent on its promotion.

These are clearly the kinds of promoted stories that undermine American democracy! Out of 70 top promoted tweets only five had links to the US presidential campaign. Clearly democracy in America is not on a very solid footing if all it takes is a few promoted tweets to take it down. RT and Sputnik Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan pointed out that the costliest Twitter ad on RT America was not even about Trump, but Bernie Sanders!

We'd like to be able to tell everyone that this obvious hysteria is going to be exposed as such and end very quickly. Sadly, we strongly suspect that it will get worse, because it appears to be a last, desperate attempt by the 'Deep State' in USA to 'do something' about the rising global influence of Russia and, at the very least, inoculate the minds of the American people against any further truth 'infection' via Russian media outlets. The effort will, of course, fail, but that won't stop the 'crazies' from trying.

See also:

• Twitter reveals genius plan for determining Kremlin agents: Flag all accounts with Russian text, phone number, email, IP address, and more!
• Testimony before Senate Committee reveals Twitter & Google's 2016 election tricks
• Google and Facebook finally admit before Senate there were no violations from RT ads

Comment: While the point is well-taken that all the never-ending Washington mud-slinging has become tiresome, what the author seems to be suggesting is that, once out of power, crimes of the past administrations, or past campaign administrators, should not be prosecuted, or at least de-emphasized in importance. But one would think the implication of nefarious actions by the Democrats, Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation shouldn't be dismissed so easily. It really goes beyond simple knee-jerk partisan resentments, even if that is indeed what's driving the discourse. See:

• Tucker Carlson: Podesta brothers and Manafort, not Trump, are 'central figures' in Mueller probe (UPDATE)
• Clinton mafia spotted meeting with Tony Podesta ahead of Mueller indictment
• Breaking: Tony Podesta quits Podesta Group amid Mueller inquiry
• Hannity calls out Mueller for distracting from Hillary funding 'Trump Dossier': "Real collusion he knew about!"

Comment: Previously:

• Women staffers in Westminster are naming MPs with histories of sexual harassment in secret WhatsApp group
• UK parliament sexual harassment scandal: MP's staffer reported assault four times but was 'ignored by authorities'
• Westminster's sexual assault 'dirty dossier' a 'witch hunt'?
• Sexual harassment isn't just a Westminster problem it plagues local government too
• UK police officers threatened with prosecution under 'Official Secrets Act' in Cyril Smith pedophile cover up
• Courageous abuse survivor accuses Tory MP of murdering boy during 'depraved Westminster VIP paedophile party'
• Powerful pedophiles are seemingly everywhere and above the law in the UK
• Westminster MPs fighting back against claims of widespread sexual harassment and assault

Comment: Twitter bans ads from RT and Sputnik - RT reveals how Twitter pushed for huge ad buy in 2016 - Internet users furious with Twitter (UPDATES)