“Fake news” and “conspiracy theories” regarding Russia may damage the credibility of Democrats and the broader Left, argued Vox’s Zack Beauchamp in a Friday-published article.
Describing the online ecosystem focusing on “fake news” and “conspiracy theories” as the “Russiasphere,” Beauchamp touched on a narrative pushed by Democrats and their allies which frames President Donald Trump as an agent of foreign influence either compromised by or otherwise beholden to the Russian state.
Beauchamp described left-wing news media figure Louise Mensch as “right-wing” while highlighting her centrality to the “Russiasphere.” According to Mesnch, the Russian state has compromised Attorney General Jeff Sessions, national security adviser Sebastian Gorka, presidential adviser Jared Kushner, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn, White House communications staffer Boris Epshteyn, and various other administration officials and Republican politicians.
The “Russiasphere” is dominated by various Democrats, party operatives, and allied news media and satellite figures, notes Beauchamp. He identifies Harvard University law professor Laurence Tribe, GQ’s Keith Olbermann, CNN alumnus Donna Brazile, MSNBC’s Rick Wilson, former Obama staffers Ned Price and Eric Schultz, and others as purveyors of and traffickers in “fake news” and “conspiracy theories” framing Trump as an agent of political subversion directed by the Kremlin.
Political and news media observers will note the ubiquity of this narrative, from The New York Times publishing an op-ed of Mensch’s in March to TIME‘s latest magazine cover depicting a White House being transformed into St. Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square:
CNN’s Jake Tapper used innuendo-laden graphics and chyrons to cast Trump as a co-conspiracist with the Russian state in last week’s State of the Union:
John Schindler, a former NSA employee who now writes for Observer, told Beauchamp there’s “good evidence that the Kremlin was planning a secret operation to put Trump in the White House back in 2014.” The “mainstream media,” he added, ” [was] slow to ask obvious questions about Trump in 2016, and [is] playing catch-up now.” He is identified by Beauchamp as a “Russiasphere” personality complicit in the advancement of “fake news” and “conspiracy theories” regarding Russia.
Beauchamp likens perceptions of Obama as a Muslim and “birtherism” as examples of widespread right-wing subscription to self-damaging false narratives. Holocaust denialism and the 9/11 Truth movement are also listed as examples of credibility-destroying narratives.
“Unfounded speculation and paranoia that infect the Russiasphere risk pushing liberals into the same black hole of conspiracy-mongering and fact-free insinuation that conservatives fell into during the Obama years. The fear is that this pollutes the party itself, derailing and discrediting the legitimate investigation into Russia investigation. It also risks degrading the Democratic Party — helping elevate shameless hucksters who know nothing about policy but are willing to spread misinformation in the service of gaining power.”
Beauchamp himself has furthered these narratives, suggesting that Trump coordinated political moves with Russian President Vladimir Putin during 2016’s presidential election season, claiming, “[There are] legitimate reasons to believe that Trump’s campaign worked with Russian hackers to undermine Hillary Clinton.”
Follow Robert Kraychik on Twitter.