Why did Russia try to hack into the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development?
A SPIN NEWS NETWORK INVESTIGATION
The Department of Homeland Security initially listed Wisconsin as among 21 states whose election systems were infiltrated by the Russians, but reversed that position four days later. Instead the Wisconsin Elections Commission says Russian hackers may have been trying to access the state voter registration database but scanned one belonging to the states unemployment agency by mistake. Another possibility is that the information was sought by the Kremlin in an attempt to embarrass political candidates.
Recently it was disclosed that the Mayor of San Antonio Texas had sought unemployment benefits from the city after losing reelection. A local newspaper had sought city records to confirm the former Mayors claim for benefits and the city responded “The nature of the requested information is considered to be confidential by law. Specifically, the information requested concerns confidential unemployment compensation information. The city believes, then, that the requested information, to the extent any exists, is excepted from required disclosure.”
A former state legislator in Idaho also tried unsuccessfully to file a claim for unemployment. She was widely criticized and the incident was described by colleagues in both parties as setting a “reckless precedent” if the benefits had been granted. Under federal law, the filing of unemployment benefits claims is considered confidential.
Disclosure of receiving unemployment benefits can be portrayed as being hypocritical, as is the case with a Florida Congressional Candidate who espoused that “the government has no business paying unemployment benefits” yet himself received over $18,000 in the two years preceding that statement.
Who in Wisconsin might the Russians have been trying to dig up dirt on?
Before Donald Trump entered the 2016 race Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was considered to be a front runner, but was regarded by some as lacking foreign policy experience. The solution was to hire a foreign policy expert, Mike Gallagher, a 31 year old Marine veteran and Senate Foreign Relations Committee staffer unknown outside of DC in late February 2015. Walker suspended his campaign on September 21st 2015 after it became apparent that Trump was most likely to be the Republican nominee. On December 26th 2015 Gallagher co-authored “A New Year’s Resolution for Obama” which he ends with a quote from President Carter “History teaches, perhaps, very few clear lessons. But surely one such lesson learned by the world at great cost is that aggression, unopposed, becomes a contagious disease.” Gallagher concludes by saying “In the face of Russian, Chinese and radical Islamic terrorist aggression, this is a lesson that President Obama has yet to learn.”
Gallagher became a candidate for Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional district on February 27th 2016. The Russians attempted to hack into the Wisconsin unemployment database July 30th and 31st and were blocked on August 2nd. Gallagher went on to win the election and is indeed a hawk on the Russia threat:
“Russia is not a potential partner in Syria or on cybersecurity. Russia is an adversarial dictatorship with an expansionist agenda and we have to confront them.” -Congressman Mike Gallagher
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