Round 1: Destablization of Trump Administration Begins
The Washington [Com]Post via lead "National Security" reporter Nakashima fires the first barrel.
Published: 2024-11-12
Swimming in it
The Washington [Com]Post issued an "Exclusive" article in its "National Security" section on November 10, 2024 at 2:28 p.m. EST. The article's lead author is Ellen Nakashima who the publication describes as "a national security reporter [who] covers intelligence and national security issues".
The stenographed disinformation in the article was hidden behind the usual glomar of:
a person familiar with the call [matter], who, like others interviewed for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.
Antiwar and Moon of Alabama noted that the article is based on a claim from these unknown individuals which has been denied by the Kremlin's official spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who stated, according to RIA Novosti (machine translation from the Russian):
This is the most obvious example of the quality of the information that is now published sometimes even in fairly reputable publications. This is completely untrue. This is pure fiction. This is just false information, [emphasis mine.]
Moon of Alabama also noted another claim in the WaPo piece, that “Ukrainian officials have been informed of the Putin call”, which Ukraine has flatly denied:
KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine's foreign ministry said on Sunday that reports Kyiv was informed in advance of a phone call between U.S. President- elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin were false.
Nakashima and her editors did have the honesty to describe the article as a "story". It is also generous of WaPo to inform us that its National Security section includes stories.
The evidence free assertions began with the first four words of the WaPo story, that "Trump talked to Putin".
Peskov's triple denial of the call informs us that whatever Nakashima and her "anonymous persons" "familiar with the call" claimed was discussed in it are also false. These call content lies are purposed to shape a narrative for consumption by the gullible section of The Washington Post's readership based on the wishes of Nakashima's "sources".
The false narratives begin in the 'fake news' article's second sentence. Nakashima & co. wanted the readers to believe that Trump:
… advised the Russian president not to escalate the war in Ukraine and reminded him of Washington’s sizable military presence in Europe.
This itself is interesting, because all of the escalations in the NATO conflict with Russia in Ukraine have been orchestrated by NATO. The Ukrainian invasion of the Russian Federation in the Kursk oblast was the most recent. The most egregious have been the arming of Ukraine after the 2014 US coup, and the denial of any of the opportunities to prevent or settle the conflict.
Moon of Alabama characterized Nakashima’s sources’ hogwash of "Washington's sizable military presence in Europe" with:
Sorry, but the U.S. presence in Europe, currently some 50,000 soldiers, of whom, at most, some 5,000-7,500 are proper frontline troops, is not something that will make the Kremlin tremble.
Nakashima's story even included a "direct" fictitious quote:
The two men discussed the goal of peace on the European continent and Trump expressed an interest in follow-up conversations to discuss “the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon,” one of the people said.
which informs us of the target for her article.
Nakashima set a context for the tale in the following paragraph with:
The call, which has not been previously reported, comes amid general uncertainty about how Trump will reset the world’s diplomatic chessboard of U.S. allies and adversaries after his decisive victory on Tuesday.
In this sentence WaPo is echoing the ongoing use of "uncertainty" which was featured in the New York Times and The Economist in their lead articles following Trump's resounding victory in the 2024 US presidential election, as reported by this newsletter. Interestingly, Nakashima & co. use 'chessboard', which to any geopolitical analyst would hint of the 1997 book by Zbigniew Brzezinski "The Grand Chessboard". The strategy of using Ukraine to “weaken” Russia, as US Secretary of Defence Austin described the purpose of the war, was initially proposed by Brzezinski.
The technical issue which the WaPo story attempts to shift into focus is an alleged impropriety by Trump and his staff:
Trump’s initial calls with world leaders are not being conducted with the support of the State Department and U.S. government interpreters. The Trump transition team has yet to sign an agreement with the General Services Administration, a standard procedure for presidential transitions.
You, Trump, shall not speak to anyone without having elements of the establishment facilitate the exchange! This in itself hints at the background to Nakashima’s “sources”.
Intent
Mr. Trump has declared his intention to end the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible. These combined narrative falsehoods seem designed to destabilize any efforts which Mr. Trump may make. It also suggests that incoming President Trump will be dangerous to "the world's diplomatic chessboard". Indeed, Mr. Trump may be interested in redirecting US efforts away from war and towards diplomacy (“deal making”).
This is a pre-emptive attack on trust in the incoming Trump administration while its executive officers are being chosen. The sources of the attack are Nakashima's sources.
Nakashima has been rewarded for issuing stories which support political narratives which are based on falsehoods. Moon of Alabama noted:
Ellen Nakashima is known for 'reporting' this or that nonsense about 'RussiaGate' for which she and others received a Pulitzer Price. We today know that the alleged Russian influence in the 2016 election has been a hoax that has been thoroughly debunked.
Given the destabilization of Mr. Trump's first administration by US legacy media's screeching cacophony of the RussiaGate hoax, one can view this "story" by Nakashima and her "sources" as the starting gun for another 3 years of destabilization via false narratives issued by the same assembly of publications. The Post and other US legacy media are bipartisan in their pumping of false narratives, or reality distortion. They have been lying about the NATO war versus Russia in Ukraine since Russia overtly entered the civil war under the Democratic presidency of Biden.
Given that a recent Gallup poll rated trust in the US legacy media at an all-time low, one wonders why they even try. The answer of course, is that this is what they are paid to do. The legacy US media are a foundational functional arm of the influence networks which wrest control of the US government from its citizens. Money and media dominate the actions of the Congress and Executive.
PS: Your author will gladly issue a retraction and full apology as soon as the Compost publishes an official US government transcript of the fake call which includes the quote: “the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon”. 🫶
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Sources
Trump talked to Putin, told Russian leader not to escalate in Ukraine, Ellen Nakashima, John Hudson & Josh Dawsey, The Washington Post, 2024-11-11
First image of the "story" by archive.org
Why Is WaPo Reporting A Trump-Putin Call That Did Not Take Place?, b., Moon of Alabama, 2024-11-11
Kremlin Denies Report of Trump-Putin Call, Says It's 'Pure Fiction', Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2024-11-11
Putin says he’s ‘ready’ to pick up if ‘manly’ Trump calls him, Zoya Sheftalovich & Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing, Politico, 2024-11-08
Fucking with Your Brain, YesXorNo, 2024-11-04
US Republican Party Sweep into Power under Donald Trump, YesXorNo, 2024-11-07
The grand chessboard (archive.org), Zbigniew K. Brzezinski, Basic books, 1997
Alastair Crooke ： Will There Be a Trump Foreign Policy？ [LEAJr9391vw], Napolitano interviews Crooke, Judging Freedom, 2024-11-11
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