The Disinformation Campaign by the Obama Administration was Legal

George Papodapoulos's interview earlier this week is a fascinating watch. It reveals more in less than a hour than the MSM has revealed in the past three years in explaining what the Russia collusion investigation really entailed.

For those who have not watched it yet, here's the ATS thread on it:
www.abovetopsecret.com...

While the entrapment, foreign collusion, and overall disingenuous nature in which the feds came after Mr. Papodapoulos is alarming, what struck me most was extent of the veracity in his allegation of a PsyOp perpetrated on the American people.

The Clinton Fusion GPS evidence presented to FISA courts to gain spying warrants is now known to be, with out doubt, completely fabricated; a fabrication created by Democratic party officials, Democratic party contractors, foreign Russian actors, and British intelligence members. Furthermore, that fake dossier was leaked to the MSM by US Federal law enforcement agencies to add legitimacy to its fabrication in order to connive a FISA court judge.

No matter which side of the aisle you were on, no one with a clear mind can now say this wasn't a farce on the American people and an attempted subversion of America's sovereign will. The anonymous leaks, the grandiose statements that Trump was a Russian shill; the disinformation and lies were thick and played in heavy rotation across much of the media and press.

And it was all legal.

Unfortunately it was not illegal for the Obama Administration to lie to the people, media, or foreign world leaders.

It's time to rehash the 2013 NDAA:
en.wikipedia.org...

Several news outlets reported that the 2013 NDAA overturned a 64-year ban on the domestic dissemination of propaganda (described as "public diplomacy information") produced for foreign audiences, effectively eliminating the distinction between foreign and domestic audiences.[41][42][43][44] The social news media site BuzzFeed for example quoted an unnamed source saying the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012 would allow "U.S. propaganda intended to influence foreign audiences to be used on the domestic population."[43]

ATS covered this that year in a well flagged post by Vortiki:
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Vortiki asked in that thread a very important question:

I can't believe that from 1948-2012 propaganda was banned, and Obama legalized it. For what you might ask?

I would say we now have that answer. It provided the Obama Administration, or any administration after, a legal avenue to levy a disinformation campaign on the American people and her judges. A propaganda campaign that would allow members of the federal government to spy on and ultimately overthrow any political opponent they saw as a threat to their own policies and agenda.

This whole Russia collusion which hunt started with what is now known to be obvious disinformation.

Sadly, it seems it was legal as American law gave them that right to lie and deliberately misinform the American people.

Like it or not, PsyOps are legal and within the boundaries of American law. In that regard, it is legal to be an enemy of the people.

a reply to: GenerationGap

I have been thinking about this for a while now, relative to everything going on.
I suspect you may be right on some things, but there are still a number of items that were illegal perpetrated by the outgoing administration back in 16.

Seemingly illegal influence continues in Chicago to this day ala Smollet. A judge just confronted the same DA for going after another person with one count of making a false report.

So sure, the lying might be "legal" but many of the actions were not.

a reply to: GenerationGap

Like it or not, PsyOps are legal and within the boundaries of American law.

Yup. And nothing has changed that.

Therefore, it is equally legal for Trump, and therefore equally as likely that Trump is "legally" conducting his own psyops...

The letter "Q" comes to mind...

a reply to: GenerationGap

Sadly, it seems it was legal as American law gave them that right to lie and deliberately misinform the American people.

False.

Smith-Mundt was amended to allow materials which the State Department produced for foreign dissemination to be released within the US, under very specific conditions. The idea being that we should know what we are saying to the world about ourselves. As written, Smith-Mundt prohibited that.

Obama didn't have a lot to do with it though, other than signing the 2013 NDAA (passed by guess which Congress) into law. The act, which was incorporated into the 2013 NDAA, was introduced by Texas Republican William Thornberry.

“Information intended for foreign audiences may, upon request and reimbursement of the reasonable costs incurred in fulfilling such a request, be made available, in the United States.”

‘Sec. 501. (a) The Secretary and the Broadcasting Board of Governors are authorized to use funds appropriated or otherwise made available for public diplomacy information programs to provide for the preparation, dissemination, and use of information intended for foreign audiences abroad about the United States, its people, and its policies, through press, publications, radio, motion pictures, the Internet, and other information media, including social media, and through information centers, instructors, and other direct or indirect means of communication.

The amendment is quite specific in regard to domestic targeting.

(a) In General- No funds authorized to be appropriated to the Department of State or the Broadcasting Board of Governors shall be used to influence public opinion in the United States.

www.smithmundt.com...

originally posted by: BlueJacket
a reply to: GenerationGap

I have been thinking about this for a while now, relative to everything going on.
I suspect you may be right on some things, but there are still a number of items that were illegal perpetrated by the outgoing administration back in 16.

Seemingly illegal influence continues in Chicago to this day ala Smollet. A judge just confronted the same DA for going after another person with one count of making a false report.

So sure, the lying might be "legal" but many of the actions were not.

While I would tend to agree, if the actions were predicated on legal disinformation a prosecutor will have a hard time prosecuting anyone. It makes a great umbrella...

Sadly, it seems it was legal as American law gave them that right to lie and deliberately misinform the American people.

False.

Absolutely nothing you posted there supports your "false" assertion.

The amendment is quite specific in regard to domestic targeting.

FALSE.

(a) In General- No funds authorized to be appropriated to the Department of State or the Broadcasting Board of Governors shall be used to influence public opinion in the United States.

All that says is funds appropriated to Department of State or the Broadcasting Board of Governors, as this is in the NDAA simply use funds appropriated within the defense purse, duh bruh. Not unlike Trump using defense sector funds on the wall.

a reply to: GenerationGap

This is for Obama:



Grabbing some popcorn to watch this jousting battle between OP and Phage

a reply to: Phage

Additionally, it doesn't matter that it was drafted by a Republican and a Democrat and passed through a Republican congress. It was in fact signed into law by Obama, he could have vetoed, sent it back with instruction to remove the amendment. He didn't, but regardless Republicans and Democrats are equally sinister. And mark these words, the conspirators behind the Fusion GPS scam will hide behind this amendment; and will likely be successful in that defense.

As long as they can say the intent was to affect a foreign country with the lie, it doesn't matter if American opinion was swayed. All they have to say is that they were hoping it would uproot any Russian agents working to subvert the American electorate and it's perfectly legal.

a reply to: GenerationGap

All that says is funds appropriated to Department of State or the Broadcasting Board of Governors, as this is in the NDAA simply use funds appropriated within the defense purse, duh bruh.

So, you didn't bother to read the law. What a surprise.

The amendment applies exclusively to materials produced by the Department of State or the Broadcasting Board of Governors for foreign audiences. It has nothing to do with making it "legal to lie."

‘(c) Application- The provisions of this section shall apply only to the Department of State and the Broadcasting Board of Governors and to no other department or agency of the Federal Government.’.

Read it the law. I know, a novel thought. But you should try it some time. The link is posted above.

a reply to: Phage

I read it. I read it then and I read it recently. I don't need to read it again. It can be interpreted a multitude of ways; and I'm not the only person who sees it that way. Where you determine limited scope, I see deliberately vague legalese any rookie defense attorney can easily contort.

I generally agree with your insight Phage, but I believe you're simply wrong here. Alas though only time will tell; but tell it will.

foreignpolicy.com...
www.ronpaulinstitute.org...
www.armstrongeconomics.com...

Call it what you will, propaganda, fake news, disinformation... but it's obvious disinformation was passed to a MSM outlet and subsequently used to get FISA surveillance. That will/has started an investigation and the likelihood that actors in that disinformation will face indictment is great; but a valid defense by those facing that trial is that no law was broken as this NDAA Amendment gave them the authority to do what they did - knowingly pass Fake News into the public sphere. The judge will have to decide if that defense is valid, which I think the judge will, and the grand jury will have to take it into account.

But I do believe the legal contortions to apply this wording to cover for the Fusion GPS fake news debacle is rather easy to navigate. It's so easy that even you could make that a logical argument in front of judge if you wanted.

a reply to: GenerationGap

Call it what you will, propaganda, fake news, disinformation... but it's obvious disinformation was passed to a MSM outlet and subsequently used to get FISA surveillance.

Perhaps.
But it has nothing to do with the 2013 NDAA.

a reply to: FamCore

This is for Obama: Grabbing some popcorn to watch this jousting battle between OP and Phage

Have you heard the current President speak? not a single word can be believed....

My money is on Phage

Is using false information that you paid for legal to use to get spying warrants?
I'm sure the FISA court was lied to more than the public?

But, Obama made this legal and then they used the legal stature to their advantage, to try to trick the American people into believing something totally fabricated. We cannot let this law continue, it is a deceiver ploy, this also protects the Media from being charged with Slander also. I think that the Republicans should start making all sorts of evidence up to throw at Democratic congressmen and those who are running for president now, utilizing this law to protect them.

Our government should be semi-honest with the citizens of this country. We have allowed them to get corrupted but it appears that the Democrats are the ones who used this fabricating of evidence and false accusations since it was created. I think the law should be repealed immediately and safeguards put into place that would dictate capital punishment for any public official that uses deceit to gain public support.

Gee, we might as well put a wall around DC if this happens, Mostly Deceivers are running our country.

a reply to: Phage

So, you are saying that this law does not protect the Democrats for what they were doing?

a reply to: GenerationGap

Liberals should calm down about Trump lying, being deceitful, scheming, etc.. since it's all LEGAL.

a reply to: GenerationGap

In October 2016, Barack Hussein Obama said U.S. elections couldn't be "rigged".

Source: twitter.com...

Was his statement legal disinformation and diversion?

a reply to: rickymouse

Here is what I said:

Perhaps.
But it has nothing to do with the 2013 NDAA.

a reply to: GenerationGap

Even though the psyop and propaganda distribution may be deemed legal, the actions behind it cannot be legal.

So the MSM distributing the trash cannot be prosecuted per se, the people who created it all and conspired to do so can easily and rightfully be prosecuted in many different crimes including treason.