In the run-up to the midterm elections, Jack Bryan’s documentary film about the Russian attack on the 2016 election (directed by Jack Bryan, written by Bryan and Marley Clements), Active Measures, did not receive the attention it deserves. (It is currently available on Amazon Prime.) “Active measures” refers to Russian agents obtaining, generating, and systematically using false, misleading, or compromising information to conduct war. These agents then target opinion-makers, such as political leaders, media, influential people in business and the public at large. They bombard them with this information after they have weaponized it and thus shape and circumscribe opinion-makers’ decision making to benefit Russia. Russian agents obtain information in a variety of legal and illegal ways and then weaponize through forging documents, audio recordings, and videotapes and hacking information on computers. While Russia has used variations of active measures for decades, social media has increased its destructive potential. Russians now use active measures to weakening opposition governments and a precursor to actual war.
As the 2016 election day approached, James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence released a report that accused Russia of having launched an active measures attack against the U.S. This report, however, was obscured by the release of the Access Hollywood recording in which Trump admitted sexually assaulting women. Nonetheless, following the release of this report, some members of the media began to uncover disquieting facts about key figures in Trump’s campaign. Retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, a close Trump’s adviser during the campaign, and the National Security Adviser during the first weeks of the Trump administration, lied about secret contacts with the Russians and was forced to resign. Jefferson Sessions, another close campaign aid, and Trump’s Attorney General lied during his confirmation hearing and was forced by the Ethics Officer of the Department of Justice to recuse himself from the Russia investigation.
As the 2016 election day approached, James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence released a report that accused Russia of having launched an active measures attack against the U.S. This report, however, was obscured by the release of the Access Hollywood recording in which Trump admitted sexually assaulting women. Nonetheless, following the release of this report, some members of the media began to uncover disquieting facts about key figures in Trump’s campaign. Retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, a close Trump’s adviser during the campaign, and the National Security Adviser during the first weeks of the Trump administration, lied about secret contacts with the Russians and was forced to resign. Jefferson Sessions, another close campaign aid, and Trump’s Attorney General lied during his confirmation hearing and was forced by the Ethics Officer of the Department of Justice to recuse himself from the Russia investigation.
In the course of outstanding investigative journalism by the Main Stream Media (MSM), other Trump campaign officials were found to have had contacts with Russian diplomats or intelligence officers. Also, research conducted for a Republican opponent of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton linked Donald Trump’s campaign to Russia’s active measures attack on the U.S. This research (the “dossier”), conducted by Christopher Steel, a former, United Kingdom’s MI6 chief of station in Moscow, claimed that Trump was a Russian asset who was being blackmailed to do Putin’s bidding because of his sexual perversions and illegal financial dealings. (Generally, assets do the bidding of intelligence agencies, but are not under the complete control of the agencies.)
Although the MSM has uncovered a voluminous amount of information supporting the charge that Trump is Putin asset, the public has been swayed by Trump’s assertion that there was “NO COLLUSION.” Slightly more than half of the public believe that Robert Mueller, the Special Counsel charged with investigating the possible conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russians, should be removed. The MSM has explained the public’s reaction to the growing body of evidence that there was a conspiracy by claiming that the facts of the case are too complex for the public to follow and understand. While the MSM did a stellar job reporting on the facts of the story, they did not spin those facts into a compelling tale. Perhaps they were too flabbergasted by the implications of such a story to tell the tale.
Although the MSM has uncovered a voluminous amount of information supporting the charge that Trump is Putin asset, the public has been swayed by Trump’s assertion that there was “NO COLLUSION.” Slightly more than half of the public believe that Robert Mueller, the Special Counsel charged with investigating the possible conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russians, should be removed. The MSM has explained the public’s reaction to the growing body of evidence that there was a conspiracy by claiming that the facts of the case are too complex for the public to follow and understand. While the MSM did a stellar job reporting on the facts of the story, they did not spin those facts into a compelling tale. Perhaps they were too flabbergasted by the implications of such a story to tell the tale.
Regardless of why the public has possibly not yet understood the story, Active Measures has provided a coherent and compelling tale of how the Russians attacked our system of democracy by undermining the 2016 elections. The documentary identifies the key players and tells how they became key players. It shows how Vladimir Putin’s rise to power from a colonel in the KGB was inextricably linked to corruption, murdering, money laundering, and the Russian mafia. Putin used his position as the leader of the Russian government to help create the oligarchy, and his ties to the Russian mafia to control the oligarchy and other potential opponents. The Russian oligarchy and mafia are now extensions of the government serving Putin. And Putin has become one of the richest men, if not the richest man in the world.
The documentary presents Trump’s background less comprehensively but does show his early connection to many Russian mafia figures. Trump has laundered money for the Russian oligarchy and mafia and relied extensively on them to finance his real estate empire. Since the financial collapse of his casinos in Atlantic City, due in part, to fines levied by the government for money laundering, Trump defaulted on loans and suffered a series of bankruptcies. Deutsche Bank, also fined for laundering Russian mafia money, is now the only bank willing to lend money to Trump.
Most of the facts presented in Active Measures are well known. Some analyses and reports about how Russia has used active measures to attack countries in eastern Europe are now well known here. Parts of the same playbook used against the U.S. were also used to undermine governments in Estonia, Georgia, and Ukraine. Particularly striking is how a figurehead, Viktor Yanukovych, was installed as the President of Ukraine to do Putin’s bidding. Yanukovych did “lock up” one of his primary opponents, the former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko.
Active Measures does not present proof of a conspiracy between Putin and Trump. Active Measures tells the story of how a foreign power, Russia, attacked the U.S. to help rig the outcome of a Presidential election for Donald Trump. It will be up to others to determine whether Trump conspired with Russia to bring about that outcome. Nonetheless, the value of the movie is in how it presents a coherent picture of how and why such a conspiracy may have existed. As a bonus the Active Measures moves the story it tells forward by on-screen interviews with many of the main characters, such as Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Jeremy Bash, Herb Lin, and Michael Isikoff. Until the documentary, the notion of such a conspiracy was so extraordinary and disturbing, the facts that led to the notion were not pulled together into a coherent picture.
Active Measures does present facts, so many and with such speed, they almost overwhelm the viewer. But as the Mueller investigation uncovers more facts than presented in Active Measures, and it surely will, this documentary will continue to provide a framework for understanding them.
The documentary presents Trump’s background less comprehensively but does show his early connection to many Russian mafia figures. Trump has laundered money for the Russian oligarchy and mafia and relied extensively on them to finance his real estate empire. Since the financial collapse of his casinos in Atlantic City, due in part, to fines levied by the government for money laundering, Trump defaulted on loans and suffered a series of bankruptcies. Deutsche Bank, also fined for laundering Russian mafia money, is now the only bank willing to lend money to Trump.
Most of the facts presented in Active Measures are well known. Some analyses and reports about how Russia has used active measures to attack countries in eastern Europe are now well known here. Parts of the same playbook used against the U.S. were also used to undermine governments in Estonia, Georgia, and Ukraine. Particularly striking is how a figurehead, Viktor Yanukovych, was installed as the President of Ukraine to do Putin’s bidding. Yanukovych did “lock up” one of his primary opponents, the former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko.
Active Measures does not present proof of a conspiracy between Putin and Trump. Active Measures tells the story of how a foreign power, Russia, attacked the U.S. to help rig the outcome of a Presidential election for Donald Trump. It will be up to others to determine whether Trump conspired with Russia to bring about that outcome. Nonetheless, the value of the movie is in how it presents a coherent picture of how and why such a conspiracy may have existed. As a bonus the Active Measures moves the story it tells forward by on-screen interviews with many of the main characters, such as Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Jeremy Bash, Herb Lin, and Michael Isikoff. Until the documentary, the notion of such a conspiracy was so extraordinary and disturbing, the facts that led to the notion were not pulled together into a coherent picture.
Active Measures does present facts, so many and with such speed, they almost overwhelm the viewer. But as the Mueller investigation uncovers more facts than presented in Active Measures, and it surely will, this documentary will continue to provide a framework for understanding them.