As calls for a full investigation into the extent of Russia’s impact on the 2016 election continue to mount, President-elect Donald Trump remains defiant, dismissing claims that his upset victory on Election Day was a by-product of a “scripted intelligence operation” by Russia.
Journalist Terrell J. Starr, contributing reporter for Foxtrot Alpha, joined Roland Martin on NewsOne Now to discuss Russia’s history of hacking and the impact the country’s influence had on the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.
Starr said an aspect mainstream media seems to be neglecting revolves around Moscow’s history of infiltrating other nation’s internet systems and taking advantage of “ethnic strife.”
Starr said, “What [Vladimir] Putin does particularly well is, he looks at nations that have some form of division [and] it always comes down to race.
“Putin has been doing this since the early 2000s and he’s doing this [now] with Trump,” he continued. “I theorize Putin has spent years studying this––this didn’t just happen this year or the year before that. In order to pull off an operation of this magnitude, you have to have literally hundreds of people” involved.
According to Starr, the Russians “have a tendency of hacking systems and leaving their traces,” and later explained, “The Russians do this openly and they don’t care about getting caught because they don’t believe that anyone is going to respond to them.”
Starr believes Trump is benefiting from Russian interference because of the U.S. sanctions imposed on Moscow, which prevent the nation from tapping into its vast oil reserves in the Arctic. With Trump’s selection of ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State, Russia may receive some assistance in maneuvering through these sanctions and acquiring help from the west to bolster their Arctic drilling operations.
As for Trump’s taxes, Starr said, “I don’t think we’re ever going to know the full extent, because even if Trump did give up his tax returns, there are ways in which money can be hid in these regions.”
Watch Roland Martin and Terrell J. Starr discuss Russia’s history of hacking and connections with Trump in the video clip above.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
Watch NewsOne Now with Roland Martin, in its new time slot on TV One.
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