Yesterday, the United States revealed what it is calling a plot by
Russia to fabricate evidence of a supposed attack by Ukraine that would
then be used as a justification for Russia to attack in retaliation.
Here's what they're saying.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the scheme included production of a graphic
propaganda video that would show staged explosions and use corpses and
actors depicting grieving mourners.
So they say that this isn't just a hypothetical thing they have already
seen evidence of it, this is something that is maybe now being headed off by
the US revealing it or maybe it wasn't quite ready to go, but
they swear it was definitely something that was happening.
And again, according to the United States government via the Associated Press,
US intelligence shows Russia has launched a maligned social media disinformation
campaign against Ukraine and has dispatched operatives trained in
explosives to carry out acts of sabotage against Russia's own proxy forces.
So they would do a social media offensive backed up by I guess intentional
friendly fire or at least the idea of friendly fire against their own forces.
So the US government, very worried about this.
But there are some issues, especially if you are familiar with the United States
government and its intelligence apparatus.
So there was a spokesperson from the State Department doing a press conference and
got into it with Associated Press Reporter Matt Lee, and
you take a look at this video and we'll see what you think afterwards.
>> Russia continues to engage in disinformation,
[CROSSTALK] >> You made an allegation that they
might do that.
Have they actually done it?
>> What we know Matt is what I have just said, that they have engaged
in this planning activity, [CROSSTALK] >> Obviously this
is not the first time we've made these reports public.
We told you a few weeks ago that we have information indicating Russia
also has already pre positioned a group of operatives to conduct a false flag
operation in eastern Ukraine.
So that Matt to your question is an action that Russia has already taken.
>> It's an action that you say that they have taken but
you have shown no evidence to confirm that.
And I'm only gonna get to the next question here which is what is
the evidence that they filed?
I mean, this is like crisis actors really,
this is like Alex Jones territory you're getting into now.
>> Matt, this is derived from information known to the US government,
intelligence information that we have declassified.
I think- >> Okay, where is it?
Where is this information?
>> It is intelligence information that we have declassified?
>> Well, where is it?
Where is the declassified information?
>> I just delivered it.
>> No, you made a series of allegations.
>> Would you like us to print out the topper because you will see a transcript
of this briefing that you can print out for yourself.
>> That's not evidence Ned, that's you saying it, that's not evidence.
So I'm sorry.
>> So a little bit defensive basically.
Now this continued and if you thought Ned Price, the representative right
there from the State Department was defensive in the first video,
take a look at the advice that he provides to the AP reporter in this.
>> Matt, you said yourself you've been in this business for quite a long time.
You know that when we make intelligence information public, we do so
in a way that protects sensitive sources and methods.
You also know that we do so,
we declassify information only when we're confident in that information.
If you doubt the credibility of the US government of the British
government of other governments and want to find solace and
information that the Russians are putting out, that is for you to do.
>> I'm not asking what the Russian government is putting out.
And what is that supposed to mean?
>> [INAUDIBLE] Officials are describing the very specific scenes but
do they actually have a video?
>> The fact that we are able to go into such great detail,
obviously I'm not gonna spell out what is in our possession, but
I will leave it to you, I will leave that to your judgment.
>> There are no facts that you've spelled out.
>> You can't leave it to their judgment.
You're saying you saw a video, do you have a video?
Well, I can't say what we saw could be a video, could be a ham sandwich,
I don't know.
No, you're talking about a video.
Does the video exist?
Have you actually seen it?
They're asking specific questions that he is being wildly evasive.
That is the sort of press briefing that I guess we should just get used to and
maybe we should be used to it because that's generally the approach that most
representatives of the Trump administration had towards the press.
And so look, we're left in a difficult situation here because
in response to the question from the State Department rep,
do you question the United States government?
Yeah, yes, we do.
Especially in topics like this and especially when they might be taking some
information they have but then over the playing their hand.
And so we're left in a situation where we have one of two things.
We either have a false flag, which is what Russia might be doing or we have the US
pretending they're gonna do a false flag, which would be a false false flag,
which becomes a flag again, which they wanna wrap themselves in.
So we're in a difficult position, Jake, which is it?
>> Yeah.
So there's a little bit of irony in this but overall, I love it.
So I'm gonna explain why I love it and what the irony is.
So first of all, I don't think that what the price is doing there,
the Biden administration spokesperson there is extraordinary at all.
It is what it normally happens in Democratic and Republican administrations.
What's extraordinary is the reporter actually asking tough questions
in a press briefing that almost never happens.
So an NPR also asked tough questions of sake on similar issues and
they seem flummoxed by it.
They're like, is that a reporter who like, I'm in here?
Like why are they asking me super legitimate and
slightly difficult questions?
And he seems like bewildered that the reporter will not simply write
down what the government spokesperson said as fact.
And to be fair to him, generally that's what they do.
So that's why it's a twist.
He's like reporters being reporters and nobody could have seen this coming.
And so as I saw that video, I was like, yes, finally, yes.
So we beat up on the corporate press all the time.
But if they do the right things, we love it, we love it,
we can't get enough of it, right?
Now the irony is, my guess here and we're only guessing cuz
there's no actual facts, is that they're not lying.
Okay, now why do I guess that?
Because it's not a normal life for the American government.
A normal life for the American government is, well,
it just happened by the way that we killed the leader of ISIS and
the 10 people were dead, six children and four women, at least 10 civilians dead.
And we said, yeah, the ISIS leader killed him.
Did he or did we kill them and you don't wanna take responsibility yet, right?
So that is a very normal life from the American government.
We have a specific plan for
a video of a false flag operation, is not at all normal.
And so if they're saying that, they probably have it.
Okay, but we should not take their word for it, and
that's not how journalism works, so that's why I say it's a little bit ironic and
I get if they have it, why they would say it so the Russians can't use it.
If you say it afterwards, it sounds like a conspiracy theory.
If you say it's a false flag operation, if you say it ahead of time,
it does neutralize it.
>> Is it stronger if you show it?
[LAUGH] That's the quote which gets the third point,
which gets back to why it was such a great set of questions because well,
wait, is it a video or is it a plan to make a video, right?
Do they already have the video?
Cuz if you showed it, boy, that would be really persuasive, right?
And I get that you wanna protect your sources and methods, but
when the government spokesperson said, are you doubting our credibility?
I mean, it was such a hilarious moment.
But of course, of course we have, [LAUGH] that's the job of a reporter,
is to doubt your credibility.
And he said, I guess you could take solace and
taking the word of the Russian government.
That's not what he said, he's not able to take the word of any government.
And you try to do a smear job McCarthy attack in accusing a reporter was
asking a legitimate question.
I guess you're taking solace.
No, nobody's taking solace with the Russians or ISIS or any of that.
You guys are jokes.
And then my favorite part, Adrian was when he said we just declassified and
the guy's like, great, where is it?
He's like I just said it.
>> [LAUGH] >> He's like,
that's not declassifying that's just you saying it.
Come on, [LAUGH] don't insult our intelligence.
>> It was definitely very entertaining just because Jake,
you're absolutely right.
The representative expected just for the media to simply take it and run with it.
And they were unwilling to do that where they actually wanted facts and
supporting information and evidence and would not just kinda be a speaker for
the US government with whatever they're trying to do in terms of whether it's
neutralizing the potential video from the Russians or whatnot.
But it's very funny, I really do love that line of, you just don't trust us?
Like hell no, are you kidding?
>> Yeah.
[LAUGH] Where have they been?
>> But at the same time, we have to keep it real.
It's very easy to just reflexively assume that the US government must be lying,
which in this case necessitates, well, obviously Russia wouldn't be lying.
>> [LAUGH] >> Either or both could be lying.
Yes, the US government lies, that's definitely true but they're hardly unique
in that, they're not trailblazers and governments deceiving their people.
So let's not be smooth brained in either direction.
And the further difficulty of our position is that obviously we can't directly
check the information, we can't even get it like two layers away from it
aside from whatever Ned Price decides to declassify via vocalization.
We don't know, we're left to speculate, but we bring to that speculation,
the experiences we've had with US government propaganda and
the propaganda of other countries leading up to this year.
>> Yeah. So guys,
you always have to use your judgment, there's no way around it.
Do governments lie all the time?
Do reporters tell you that governments lie?
Very rarely.
[LAUGH] Okay, unless you're watching TYT which is, we're super honest about it.
And in fact, by the way, there's a lot of people that are an independent media who
say no, the right wing will say only foreign governments lie or
at least they used to say that, right?
Now there's some people pretending to be on the left who say only the American
government lies.
It's a preposterous point, of course they all do.
And then you go to false flags.
Do they exist or don't they exist?
People love to think simplistically and go, well, they either all exist or
none of them exist.
Or, or maybe some of them do and some of them don't, and
we have to use their judgment and reporting to find out which one is which.
So did Turkish government do a false flag operation where they considering a false
flag operation in Sierra?
Yes, ministers were caught on tape talking through how they
would attack their own military post that was across the border,
pretend the other side did it and use it as an excuse to attack.
Let alone the gulf of Tonkin and 1000.
Yes and there's plenty of historical evidence of false flag operations
launched by a different governments throughout the world.
Does that mean that everything is a false flag operation?
Of course not, [LAUGH] of course.
That it was Sandy Hook a false flag operation false flag, for what, right?
No, that's absurd, that's insane.
And has no evidence to back it up at all.
But to me the most telling part of this was how surprised that price was.
And that gives you a sense of how awful journalism has been in Washington for
so long that when he got a normal question handed to him along with his ass.
[LAUGH] >> He was bewildered.
A reporter asking a legitimate question, it's never happened before.
And that's why he seemed to try to intimidate him with, are you working for
the Russians?
Absurd.
>> He got declassified live actually.
[LAUGH] >> Okay now, ironically I'm gonna answer
this question maybe differently than some of you will but I don't know,
that's why we're asking.
So we're doing a poll, tyt.com/polls.
Do you think US intelligence is lying about Russia's false flag operation?
You could think that their net price was a jackass and
you could think that he was very wrong and disrespectful to the press and
still think that he might be telling the truth about false flag operation.
I probably do, right?
But by the way I might be ridiculously naïve.
So I'm curious what you guys think that's why we do the polls tyt.com/polls.
And whenever we talk about polls petitions or anything else like that,
if you're watching this video on one of the platforms, YouTube, Facebook,
check the description box cuz you'll see the link as an easy way to click and
vote on those.
>> Yeah and my final point is in addition to the different ways that you can
go towards that pole, you can also think that it's possible that the Russian
government is either as the main thing they're gonna do or
some sort of backup have a false flag and not want us to invade in response.
>> Yes.
>> You can identify that and not want us to invade Moscow.
I know this isn't going out to our audience, they understand that, but
they're very stupid people online.
So let's just make that explicit.
>> Yeah, and I'll just triple down on US and Russia and
China could all have imperialist ambitions and
we could be against all of their imperialism not just some of them.
Why do you wanna invade them, Jake?
Why? [LAUGH]