Rachel Stoltzfoos of the Federalist highlights pervasive myths surrounding Russian meddling in the 2016 American presidential election.
Yes, Trump is feeding the frenzy with his unwillingness to clearly, consistently, and unequivocally back intelligence agencies’ conclusion that Russia mounted an election interference campaign, and that Putin is personally responsible. But that doesn’t justify the wild exaggerations of the campaign’s success coming from the media.
Spinning a predictable interference campaign that had no measurable impact on the outcome of the election into a successful attempt to plant a Russian stooge in the White House by manipulating voters is not only dishonest, it helps Putin achieve one of his primary goals of sowing division and undermining faith in our democracy.
Here are some things we need to get straight about the impact of Putin’s interference campaign.
1. Russia Did Not Compromise the Vote Count
Intelligence agencies and Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian interference, have repeatedly said that Russia did not tamper with a single ballot cast in the election or change the vote tallies. …
… 2. There Is No Evidence Russia Persuaded Anyone to Vote Differently
While it’s clear one of Russia’s meddling goals was to manipulate voters, there is no evidence they succeeded in changing the outcome of the election, or even persuaded a single voter to change his or her ballot. …
… 3. The Email Theft Resulted in More-Informed Voters
While the propaganda campaign’s effect was likely negligible, the stolen emails certainly had more of an impact. Liberals might argue the emails cost Hillary the election by exposing that her nomination was rigged, thereby suppressing turnout, especially from Bernie Sanders supporters.
But even if this were true, her loss would be a consequence of voters having more information about the inner workings of the campaign — not misinformation.
