I just can’t with this.
Apparently, under Secretary Tillerson’s direction, the State Department has turned down $80 million earmarked to fight terrorist propaganda and Russian disinformation.
Why?!?!? You might ask.
Because. He. Doesn’t. Want. To. Upset. Putin.
According to Tillerson aide, R.C. Hammond:
“Hammond said the secretary is in the process of working through disagreements with Russia, and this is not consistent with what we’re trying to do,” the former senior State official told Politico.
The Kremlin-backed news site Sputnik compares the Global Engagement Center to the Ministry of Truth from George Orwell’s 1984, and Hammond told Politico the secretary of state did not want to upset Russia while trying to find common ground on Syria and other matters.
“Regarding Russia, we have not sought to reduce efforts to spotlight and combat Moscow’s ‘active measures’ or information activities,” Hammond told the website.
You sure haven’t sought to protect us by strengthening them either, sparky.
And by the way:
The Global Engagement Center is an interagency unit based at the State Department that was created in spring 2016. It replaced the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, and its staff of about 80 is responsible for coordinating government-wide efforts to counter the online messages of terrorist groups such as the Islamic State.
It was strengthened last December to include combating foreign state sponsored efforts to do things like, you know, mount psyops campaigns to sway our elections.
I am really sick of these people and their constant dance for a dictator they have sold their souls and America’s interests to.