Re: Fully Automated Combat Robots Pt. 2
Posted: Sat 13 May 2017, 14:30:01
Here’s how the Russians might have snuck a recording device into the Oval Office
A puppet and his master. Smell your fingers if you're home sick for Putin.
When this photo became public, people were quick to question the wisdom of allowing into the Oval Office at least one Russian (the photographer) who hadn’t been screened enough to identify his dual role. Much less, one who brought with him electronic equipment in the form of his camera.The Russians would love to place a recording device in the Oval Office, of course, and have a track record of using innocuous-seeming methods to bug their opponents. (Gizmodo noted that the Russians had once had schoolchildren present the U.S. ambassador to Russia with a decorative carving that included a listening device.)
Russian President Vladimir Putin asked Trump to host Lavrov in the White House, emphasizing how unusual such access would be. It also makes clear that the Russian government actively sought that access, which is relevant to the current discussion.
The Russian Embassy tweeted a photo of Trump shaking the hand of Russia's ambassador in what appears to be the Oval Office. Current and former US intelligence officials have accused Kislyak of being a top spy and recruiter of spies, a notion that Russian officials have dismissed.
A White House statement after the meeting omitted any mention of Kislyak's presence, instead focusing on Trump's conversation with Lavrov, which the President described as "very, very good."
Lavrov, who started off a news conference at the Russian Embassy by remarking that "relations between our countries ... are not in the best condition," also fielded several questions about Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 race to obvious irritation, he mocked the idea, saying it must be "humiliating for the American people to realize the Russian Federation is controlling the situation in the United States."
Life Imates Art - Like Saturday Night Live - Putin is "just in town, you know, hiding in the walls" — and he brought along a little Christmas gift. "This is Elf on the Shelf — it's fun!" Putin says, revealing an elf with one eye that's definitely a camera lens. "You just put it right here, next to your internet router. You keep it there all year. It's fun, yes?"