Former national security adviser Susan Rice said she sees a pattern in nationwide demonstrations protesting the police killing of George Floyd and the breadcrumbs lead to Russia.
“This is right out of the Russian playbook as well,” Rice said on CNN this weekend. “We can’t allow the extremists, the foreign actors, to distract from the real problems we have in this country.”
Absolutely Incredible: Obama’s Former NSA Susan Rice on CNN talking about the protests and domestic strife
“This is right out of the Russian playbook” pic.twitter.com/luXiPV0bOq
— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) May 31, 2020
Rice said foreign nations have been trying to sow discord in America during times of crisis “for years,” most recently on social media.
“They take any divisive, painful issue … and they play on both sides,” she said. “Their aim is to not simply embarrass the United States, their aim is to divide us.”
Rice’s comments are similar to those made by prominent Republicans and Trump administration officials.
“Tonight seeing VERY heavy social media activity on #protests & counter reactions from social media accounts linked to at least 3 foreign adversaries,” Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the new acting chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Saturday night. “They didn’t create these divisions. But they are actively stoking & promoting violence & confrontation from multiple angles.”
Tonight seeing VERY heavy social media activity on #protests & counter reactions from social media accounts linked to at least 3 foreign adversaries.
They didn’t create these divisions. But they are actively stoking & promoting violence & confrontation from multiple angles.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 31, 2020
Trump’s current national security adviser Robert O’Brien said Sunday that Rubio’s assessment was “spot on.”
“There’s a difference between us and you,” O’Brien said of these countries. “When this happens, we’ll get to the bottom of it, and we’ll clean it up. It’s not going to be covered out. And this wasn’t done on behalf of the party or on behalf of the state.”
