Curious, George: Russia's fake election in Ukraine and a Voter Fraud Case in Michigan
The US intelligence community said Russia did not attempt to overturn any votes in the US. Turns out, Russia's proxies did.
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ALEX’S WEEKLY RANT
On Jan. 7, 2021, the US intelligence community released its report about foreign interference in the 2020 election. One of its key findings was that no foreign government attempted to actually change votes.
Key Judgment 1: We have no indications that any foreign actor attempted to alter any technical aspect of the voting process in the 2020 US elections, including voter registration, casting ballots, vote tabulation, or reporting results. We assess that it would be difficult for a foreign actor to manipulate election processes at scale without detection by intelligence collection on the actors themselves, through physical and cyber security monitoring around voting systems across the country, or in post-election audits. The IC identified some successful compromises of state and local government networks prior to Election Day—as well as a higher volume of unsuccessful attempts—that we assess were not directed at altering election processes. Some foreign actors, such as Iran and Russia, spread false or inflated claims about alleged compromises of voting systems to undermine public confidence in election processes and results.
The focus here clearly is on technical means to change votes. And it’s true, the 2020 election was incredibly secure. But this week, we did get a new data point that makes it clear that, while Russia itself did not try to overturn votes, their proxies did. And it wasn’t through technical meddling with voter machines; it was through the US court system.
Sham Elections in Ukraine
On September 10, Russia held countrywide elections. But since Russia views Russian-occupied Crimea and Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine as part of Russia, those territories also voted. The European Union and the United States have roundly criticized the elections, calling them “illegitimate,” “sham elections,” and “nothing more than a propaganda exercise.”
Indeed, all candidates in occupied Ukrainian territories were Russian or pro-Russian, picked by Russia, and voters had to cast their ballot surrounded by armed Russian soldiers and drop them into transparent ballot boxes where votes were clearly visible. Yikes.
Part of that propaganda exercise included bringing in “international election observers” who could watch voting stations and nod profoundly as they wholeheartedly endorsed the Kremlin’s message that these elections were free and fair. (To be clear: they were not.)
This week, the Center for Democratic Integrity released a list of some of those “international election observers,” including three Americans. Today, I’d like to do a closer look at one of them. (I’ll look into the others, as well as some of the Europeans on the list, at a later date.)
Curious, George
Meet George Kline Preston IV, Nashville lawyer and Russian asset.
George served as an international vote observer in Ukraine’s coerced election. He’s actually served as an election observer before, including in Russia’s 2018 presidential election, which Vladimir Putin won with 77 percent of the vote.
George has an interesting background. For one thing, he is connected to convicted Russian spy Mariia Butina (whom I discuss at length in class 9 of my Foreign Influence Operations course) and Russian politician Aleksander Torshin. George is the guy who introduced Torshin to the head of the NRA, thus opening the door for Torshin and Butina to work their influence in those conservative circles. Torshin also served as an election observer in Nashville (where George is from) in 2012. It’s fun to remember, as well, that the NRA went on in 2016 to give $30 million to Donald Trump’s campaign, the most the organization had ever given a candidate.
George is licensed to practice law in a number of American states; he is also licensed by the Association of Russian Jurists.
George is also a published author, with an expertise in Russian law. His books include "Reporter of all Russian Appellate Copyright Cases" (volumes 1, 2, and 3) and "The Civil Code of the Russian Federation." (It’s a niche audience.)
But most interesting is this: George Kline Preston the Fourth also served as an attorney for the Republican Party in Michigan, where he participated in the effort to overturn the 2020 election, filing an affidavit in support of a lawsuit alleging voter fraud.
In the end, the judge tossed out the case, saying the complaints were “rife” with speculation and generalizations and provided zero evidence of voter fraud.
While George claims US elections are rigged up the wazoo, George has nothing but good things to say about how Russian elections are run. “I’ve been an observer in five federal elections in Russia,” Preston told the American Independent Foundation. “And I’m just here to tell you their elections are run much more smoothly — and with much more credibility than what I saw in Detroit.”
Maybe that’s because in Russia, it’s set from the beginning who will win and with what percentage. None of this democracy crap where voters have a say and the judicial system stops you from overturning their wishes.
To sum up: According to George, elections in Russia are totes fair. Elections in the United States are rigged.
So, while the US intelligence community has determined that Russia did not try to overturn any votes, some of their proxies, like George, did.
THE WEEK’S LINKS
A roundup of stories you should be reading
CHINA
Chinese spy in Parliament: Britain gripped by espionage fears (NBC News)
UNITED STATES
Tucker Carlson, Viktor Orbán and the Anti-Democracy Playbook (Just Security)
Biden’s campaign set to counterpunch on misinformation (Politico)
Alex Finley is a former officer of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, where she served in West Africa and Europe. She writes and teaches about terrorism, disinformation / covert influence, and oligarch yachts. Her writing has appeared in Slate, Reductress, Funny or Die, POLITICO, The Center for Public Integrity, and other publications. She has spoken to the BBC, MSNBC, CNN, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, France24, and numerous other media outlets. She was also invited once to speak at Harvard, which she now tells everyone within the first ten seconds of meeting them. She is the author of the Victor Caro series, satirical novels about the CIA. Before joining the CIA, Alex was a journalist, covering Capitol Hill, the Pentagon, and the Department of Energy. She reported on issues related to national security, intelligence, and homeland security. Did she mention she was invited to speak at Harvard?
That word that i keep hearing again and again and again. Attorney. The Trojan horse dismantling our democracy is our own judicial system. The Jockies are Attorneys.
Maybe we'll see George as tRumps VP running mate or Attorney General short list? Sick stuff, all of it, just endless deluge of ick.