http://www.kennan-russiafile.org/2016/08/01/in-dncs-russia-controversy-finger-pointing-trumps-analysis/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTm1JMFpUSTJZekkwWkRKbCIsInQiOiJCRnhYY201U2VQaVRJWm42Vll0Y0hEUXlxeG9CMXlaMW1JdnVGd1kweW91dGFjcDU0SzhtN3BBVkQrc3ZUckxIUVwvY0NadjNObXI2OVZvMzBaREJXbjlsMmJMMDBQaTJqXC9xdklEZmFNbUcwPSJ9

The Russia File

a Kennan Institute Blog

In DNC’s Russia Controversy, Finger-pointing Trumps Analysis

E. Wayne Merry
August 1, 2016

Many foreign countries sent diplomatic observers to our presidential nominating conventions. Russia did not, but a Russian image hovered over the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia, from start to finish.
Presumably, the last thing Hillary Clinton wanted to initiate her political triumph in Philadelphia was public confirmation that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) had functioned effectively as an extension of her own campaign rather than as a neutral party secretariat. The confirmation via WikiLeaks of suspicions about the DNC greatly hampered Senator Bernie Sanders in his efforts to convince his ardent supporters to transfer their loyalty to Clinton in the final contest with Donald Trump.
The immediate response from DNC officials was to blame Russia and thus shift public attention from their scandal to presumed Russian meddling in the election campaign. In American political tradition, this is called wrapping yourself in the flag. The effort was greatly assisted by Mr. Trump’s remarks inviting the Russian government to pursue the missing emails from Mrs. Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State. In Philadelphia, it was striking how quickly the concerns of die-hard Sanders supporters were overshadowed in the media by the image of a malevolent Vladimir Putin.http://www.kennan-russiafile.org/2016/08/01/in-dncs-russia-controversy-finger-pointing-trumps-analysis/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTm1JMFpUSTJZekkwWkRKbCIsInQiOiJCRnhYY201U2VQaVRJWm42Vll0Y0hEUXlxeG9CMXlaMW1JdnVGd1kweW91dGFjcDU0SzhtN3BBVkQrc3ZUckxIUVwvY0NadjNObXI2OVZvMzBaREJXbjlsMmJMMDBQaTJqXC9xdklEZmFNbUcwPSJ9