Senior British politicians targeted by Kremlin for smear campaigns

[inanna]

Source: The Guardian

Saturday 14 January 2017 22.00 GMT

A former Foreign Office minister has claimed that senior British politicians are being targeted by the Kremlin for potentially compromising details about their private lives that might be used to discredit them.

The Labour MP, Chris Bryant, a former minister for Europe and ex-chair of the all-party parliamentary group for Russia, said he had been a victim of such tactics himself, and was “absolutely certain” that high-profile government figures such as the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, and the international trade secretary, Liam Fox, will have been investigated by individuals linked to Russia or employed directly by Moscow.

The claim follows the publication of an intelligence file containing unverified allegations that Russian security officials possess compromising material on Donald Trump, including lurid sex videos, that could be used to blackmail the US president-elect. The British author of the controversial material, experienced former MI6 agent Christopher Steele, remained in hiding on Saturday.

<snip>

Bryant, explaining that incumbent Foreign Office ministers could not speak out on the issue because of security connotations, said: “Any minister who goes into the Foreign Office and has responsibility for Russia, they [Moscow] will be, in any shape or form, trying to put together information about them.


Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/14/russia-blackmail-chris-bryant-donald-trump-boris-johnson-liam-fox

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Beauty

and vodka, popular the world over

In the internet age it's no secret

[raging moderate]

2. Best thing they can do: Spill it all!

Throw themselves on the mercy of the people. Tell Putin to go jump in a lake with his blackmail threats. Whatever happens, happens! Get it over, and get past it. Better than slow mental torture with tiny hints dribbling out.

[Overseas]

3. K&R.

[lark]

4. If so, just proves Pootie Poot and drumpf are truly besties.

Murdering dictators!

[LiberalLovinLug]

5. This is the new reality of politics

It will only get worse the world over. Hacking, if it isn't already, will be an important department in every ruling party. If any person, no matter how good the intention to serve the public and change their country for the best, has any skeleton in his or her closet, it will be dug out and used.

[wishstar]

6. Or if nothing incriminating/scandalous turns up, spread fake news (like Obama/Clinton false memes)