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U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul
The U.S. ambassador to Russia was back at it again Thursday on Twitter with questions about how Russian media gets hold of his schedule, raising broader concerns about surveillance during a time of tension between Washington and Moscow.
Michael McFaul, no stranger to Twitter controversy since taking up his post in Moscow in January, told his more than 21,300 followers he was frequently dogged by representatives of NTV, a Kremlin-friendly television station.
"Everywhere I go NTV is there. Wonder who gives them my calendar? They wouldn't tell me. Wonder what the laws are here for such things?" McFaul said in one tweet posted to his account, @McFaul.
"I respect press right to go anywhere & ask any question. But do they have a right to read my email and listen to my phone?" McFaul also tweeted. "When I asked these 'reporters' how they knew my schedule, I got no answer."
McFaul was apparently describing an encounter with a self-described NTV television crew before a meeting with a Russian human rights activist.
Footage of the encounter posted on the NTV website shows a clearly irritated but mostly smiling McFaul, coatless under a wet snow, sparring for several minutes in Russian with a woman holding a microphone who says she is from NTV.
"Your ambassador to our country walks around all the time without this. They do not interfere with his work. And you are always with me -- at home," McFaul said in the clip.
"Aren't you ashamed to do this? It is an insult to your country when you do this, do you understand that?"
He said his meeting with activist Lev Ponomaryov, whom he said he has known for 25 years, was part of his job, just like a meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev two days earlier.
Blogger Alexey Navalny, a vocal opponent of Vladimir Putin, reacted to McFaul's tweet on his own account, saying "I don't understand McFaul. He's got diplomatic immunity. He can just lawfully beat up the NTV journalists. Come on, Mike! One for all!"
State Department officials described McFaul's tweets as rhetorical and said they did not necessarily reflect formal concerns over surveillance by the Russian government or media.
"A rhetorical question, in and of itself, is not directed at anyone," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.
"Many of our chiefs of mission have Twitter accounts and they are allowed to express themselves. We have full confidence in their ability to express themselves on matters of U.S. policy."
Tripping up on Twitter
McFaul is among a number of senior U.S. diplomats who have taken to Twitter as the State Department attempts to harness social media to get the U.S. government's message across.
But the personal style of the new communication has at times caused controversy.
The Russian government rebuked McFaul, a former White House adviser on Russia, earlier this month after he tweeted his concern over the detention of protesters who challenged Vladimir Putin's presidential election victory.
Russia and the United States say they are committed to improved ties, but have seen differences grow over issues including the Syrian crisis and U.S. plans for a missile defense shield in Europe.
Putin accused U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in December of stirring protests against his 12-year rule by encouraging "mercenary " Kremlin foes. Washington has dismissed the accusations.
McFaul, a Stanford University professor who specialized in analyzing the development of democracy in Russia and the former Soviet Union, was criticized by Russian state television when he arrived to take up his new post in January.
Following a meeting with opposition leaders shortly after his arrival, a commentator on state television said McFaul was not an expert on Russia but simply a specialist in the promotion of democracy.
Other commentators and media reports have suggested he is seeking to help opponents topple the government. A film aired on NTV earlier this month hinted that opposition demonstrations were funded by the White House with the aim of undermining Putin.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
How do you say "frick off" in Russian? The not so nice way to say it. lol
Ебать покинуть!
It doesn't matter if he can say f-off in Russian. Our government is loaded with communists these days. Obama, H. Clinton..... The ACLU is a front for Communism. The Unions are full of communists. I am sure his schedule is being given to the Russian press by our very own government. How else could it be explained? Wake up America. You elect Prez B.O. again and we are DONE.
The Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, should not permit any ambassadors' tweeeting or other unauthorized communications. It should be forbidden. The Department of State needs better discipline, form the top down. She is undisiplined and too arrogant for a diplomatic post.
I think if I were an ambassador of some Communist country, and make no mistake, Russia is still a Communist country, I would want to be able to 'tweet' or 'facebook', to make sure my life was safe and that people knew what was going on. There are some government secrets that should remain secrets but not this. This is trivial.
@ Against Union Thievery
You have no clue what communist really mean, so don't use big word that you clearly have no understanding. I live in communist country for 15 years here and what Obama did is far from Communist.
As for your name, you know that there is union in my country and guess what? Long hours workday, low pay, no benefits. If you want to know something, live there in the environment to find out.
Clueless posters like you are what plague the US with words you have no understand whatsoever.
The best way is not to grab one's ankles with a toothsome grin, like Our Great Omnisicient Obama is inclined to do at any opportunity
Sorry, I mean to say there is no union in my country as well as China. The results are low pay, much longer work hour and no benefits.
I have also traveled to China 2 times and the workers are like slaves. They travel to different providence and stayed at factory town where they spend less than 8 hours of sleep and work for months, then couple days break, like animal in cages.
@ lilian101
I rather have Obama than GoP, their ideas of what a country should be is the same reason I left Vietnam in the first place. Want to feel how unregulated market like? Come to Vietnam and see. You will want to go back as soon as possible and change your tones after that.
"communist, communist, communist" is code for someone saying that they don't know jack spit and hate anyone that actually does.
that's what the GOP demands that we do for their corporate, billionaire masters.
@Cuong, your 100% right when you say some don't have a clue what communism is. The uneducated, uninformed and uninterested Americans can't think outside their bubbled politics, they parrot terms like Socialism, Communism or Fascism as if they can actually relate to the politics and what it means to live under those regimes. They are not open minded enough to do the research or speak to someone from a truly different political system.
Russia isn't Communist. Arguably it never was. It's just totalitarian, with a powerful corporate-governmental oligarchy.
Which is a step up from the old "Communist" oligarchy, frankly, when the only ones with power were the government and military.
The Russian ambassador in the US doesn't go around meeting people opposed to our government.
romilio.................Are you sure? Are you saying the Russian ambasssador has never met with any Republicans? I dunno. I think you're wrong.
Welcome to Russia!
Nice job Russia! You got back to the 50's! I will vote to try and keep America from going back there too.
You ain't in Kansas anymore, sweetie McFaul.
Who cares? Things will be "more flexible" after Obama gets reelected.
Don't worry, Obama plans to surrender to Putin if he gets reelected in November. Obama sees that as the way to get us on the fast track to Communism, his ultimate goal.
I hope you're being "funny", otherwise you're one of the dumbest mofos to come down the pike in a while.
Re your reply to David: How do you know he's not right on track? Do you perhaps have inside information? You can read Obama's mind?
Isn't it strange how the attacks on Obama in the United States by the Republicans claiming to protect United States sound the same as the Soviet Union Media protecting the Soviet Union from Obama's Ambassador to the Soviet Union?
The Logical Conclusion is the GOP, Tea Party, Republicans are Communists and want to have a Government like the Russians!!!!!!
All for the 1% or in this case 2% divided equals 1%!!!
The comrades of the GOP in the United States seek the same status as their fellow comrades in the soviet union an elitism above the majority. For they have the same insecurity.
We don't need the GOP anymore than the Soviets Need the Communists!!
Both hate being told we tell them what to do!
Just as the Rich hate being told it doesn't matter how much they have they are just like all of us!
Majority Rules!!!!!!!
The Rich in the United States are the Communist!
D H-1102739, wasn't sure if you were aware that the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1992. I'm not saying Putin is not pushing the Russians (1 of 15 former Soviet states) back away from democracy, but we ought to at least use the right terminology.
Republican are more like lite version of Muslim. They want women to have as little rights as possible and a religious based government.
What's next? Each bills passed out in the name of God? Not that they haven't tried considering 3 GoPs presidential candidate told us "God told them to run for president".
Democrats, headed by Obama, are the fundamentalist Muslims, who want clitoridectomies and burkhas all around. "[President Obama] praised Indonesia - the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation - for a 'spirit of tolerance that is written into your constitution, symbolized in your mosques and churches and temples, and embodied in your people,' a quality worthy for all the world to emulate." Wilson, S. (Nov. 10, 2010) "Obama praises Indonesia's 'spirit of tolerance' as a model" retrieved Feb. 10, 2012 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/09/AR2010110906579.html?wprss=rss_print
I may not agree with what your saying but I'll defend to the death you right to express your opinion. For that reason I have not moved to collapse any of the above comments.
@lilian101
You clearly have no understand of Muslim whatsoever. Muslim is what Christianity was 300 years ago. If you remove most laws in the US, Christian and Catholic are exactly the same as Muslim.
Watch Front Tier channel, learn more about how people in Middle East behave and then we can discuss more as you are so clueless now.
Thanks Ralph-633048 Yes I realize that it was dissolved. I'm not sure what you mean by the right terminology ? By definition? By government? By personal perspective? By using the Labeling/terminology we continue to keep thinking in the box that other people want us to remain in Their Box! Isn't that how the cold war was promoted with nuclear doomsday with elitism on both parties for the continued securities of both countries? Changing the labels and terminology promotes and presents a different view of history and written in stone perspectives of the times. Maybe the times have arrived where leaders have to actually listen and if they don't we don't need them!
Maybe being ignorant is just the lack of information and the time to digest it, other factors being equal or not.
A pivotal time in the History of Mankind.
I doubt that. I won't vote for a post turtle and dictator.
So glad to hear you'll be voting Democrat, Jodi. Good girl.
lilian, do you EVER have an intelligent thing to say?
Like Russia is going to play fair. lol
Just like the rest of the large and small countries. Bottom line, fair isn't going to happen anytime soon on planet earth! ROFL
In Soviet Russia, you interview media!
Seems to me, that right when Russia was starting to come of age, moving forward nicely, and reforms were working all across the board,well except for extortion, fraud, election rigging, corruption. Oh wait, things are still actually the same with the Russian Government. See, things didn't work out the way Putin wanted with the current so called President,"A Puppet to Putin". So Putin decided to come back as President, "like he ever wasn't", and here we are again, dealing with a former OLD KGB Communist!!! Great, right when Russian/Soviet Union/ and whatever names they have gone through over the years of corruption were appearing to move to be more democratic, they put themselves 50 more years into the past. Putin is always going to think the United States is going to attack him, and that the United States has some secret covert operation to overthrow his government. OH PLEASE PUTIN, get a freaking life, and stop playing old communist hard ball mentality. Russia is never going to move forward until people like Putin stop acting like every country, especially the United States of America, wants to overthrow there government. Message to Putin>>>> "MOVE ON", this is not the 1960's, we have moved passed that.
I have news for you Dave. How the @!$%# do you know Russia's elections are rigged? Just because the US puppet didn't get the nod? I think one thing is clear though after the last 3 US Pres elections and that is voting fraud is rampant and can happen any number of ways via black box voting, dead folks voting, or party election officials throwing out votes during primaries, not to mention the media either destroying or ignoring non Establishment approved candidates. And I am sorry Putin is right. Once those CIA backed NGOs win, that is the end of any govt that puts Russia first. Name me one Western government that puts it peoples interrests first and not those of the coprorations or bankers? None, and that is what this chess game is all about. You talk about corruption like it isn't here in the US, but the US is the capital of corruption and it is trying to spread it everywhere. Russia is corrupt alright, but the US has nothing on Putin and friends.
Robert Bruce 70, I agree we have too much corruption here, but if you really think the Russian scene is less corrupt than here, I PROMISE you that you know very little about Russia. Been there, seen it, studied it, we have absolutely nothing on them. There are millions of really wonderful people that live there and have families that they love and try to live honest, decent lives, but the offical "leadership" struction from top to bottom has corruption options that we would absolutely FREAK OUT at. For example, have you ever been pulled over on the way to the airport by the police, for nothing really, and been stuck there until you paid them a bribe. I have. I am guessing that you really have no idea what it's like there. Don't guess.
And, while I'm at it, in spite of that corruption, not 100% of Russian people are like that. Likewise, in the US, not all Democrats or Republicans (whichever we happen to despise on boards like this) are bad, mean, and evil. Lots of good people with different opinions. Some bad apples all around, but not the majority. We really need the majority of good, kind people to get involved this year and try to start making sense of our current process by refusing to play the games, but by voting and by intelligently and rationally discussing issues.
I absolutely agree with you. It seems whenever Russia gets on track something always pulls them back and you can bet it's Putin. That old fart needs to move on. The younger generation there wants to move on. My friend in Russia is so against Putin, he made a video that went viral. Lots of protest in Russia against Putin. It's all corrupt, but America will be as bad as Russia someday if we keep elected empty heads or post turtles. Obama is nothing but a dictator, just like Putin. Obama's idea is "if you can't beatem, join em".
Does Russian really have a reason to be that paranoid?
Yes, they're Russians. Next question?
Tetrapoda.......................LOL. Thank you.
Russia is cooked. Always was and always will be. Period.
Russia is cooked. Always has been and always will be. Period
russia? russia!? oh that russia...the grease spot on the map...yeah not so important.
Yeah that place with enough nukes to wipe out the planet, how many times over. that inconsequential nation we no longer need to be concerned with at all. The same nation that we had a small military issue with just recently.
we dont need to be concerned with it. and we didn't have a "military issue" with Russia. the Russian-Georgian 2008 war was a joke. Sure, for all purposes, Russia won, but suffered some damage and losses at the hands of the amateurish Georgian army. of course Russia has nukes, so does france, the UK, and Israel. Russia is still unimportant.
I think I see the problem. It's a lack of education on the part of the Ambassador. When he said "I respect press right to go anywhere & ask any question . . .", he apparently overlooked the fact that the press, as an organization or as individuals, only has a right to freedom of the press; that is, the right to be free from government interference. However, the press has no more rights than any other individual citizen of the United States, and does not have a right to trespass, unlawful interception of communications, violation of protected privacy, and so on. Privacy "desires" that are not specifically protected under law - of that particular country or under international law - are not in fact protected at all. He apparently doesn't comprehend that individual rights to be free from press interference - scavenging, theft, blackmail and . . . - override the "rights" of the press. He apparently doesn't wish to acknowledge that simply speaking of something as a right does not in fact make it so. He also apparently doesn't know that citizens of countries other than the U.S. do not necessarily have the same rights we do, and also may have rights we don't. Under other legal systems, the Ambassador's rights are only those they let him have, or those he can defend. And last but not least, an Ambassador who tweets? Talk about bringing yourself down to the lowest common denominator. What does he tweet, confidential meeting minutes, commercial plans of government-approved corporations,or Obama's kumbayah plans for world Happiness Together Day? Perhaps he thinks he's a movie star?
Damn kids are at it again.. All you government people need to grow up! USA, Russia, Iran every one of you. Well there are afew that never starts any problems. We all just have one life to live! Lets all have fun and party injoy life... Lets Get R Done and have some fun!
F**K RUSSIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Say what you wish, Russia has developed some amazing spy technology. The most famous example was of the American embassy being constructed in Moscow during the late 70's. It was so riddled with bugs that construction was halted.
The Russian construction crews (kgb?) were placing mics and cameras in the walls, support beams and lots of other places. I don't know what the current status is of what we learned from the spy gear, but for at least a while during that time period, some of the gear was so sophisticated that we weren't able to figure out how it worked. As I said, I don't know what the current status is: Probably still classified information.
Anyway, the point is that if his schedule is on paper, a computer in his office, or prepared in his office in any way, I'm sure he understands where the weak links are, even if he can't point to specific ones in public.
Why are we upset, we would be better off sweeping around our own doors first. This fuss is designed to get us looking the other way so our own crooks can go into action. The price of medical care and energy cost are killing us and you dummies are worried about what Russia is doing. Wake up america, before it's to late.
The price of energy and medical isn't killing me, so I'm more concerned about foreign affairs. But if you're not, feel free to post on other stories rather than this one. You're just wasting everyone's time, after all.
What a dumbazz....Nice to know this idiot is our ambassador to Russia.
What do you think the embassy's are for?
Nice appointment Odumbazz. How much kock did he have to suck to get that station?
More like anal lube
And you jerks got all red in the face when you thought Bushie was being insulted when we said he was stupid. We were just telling the truth. You guys can't say one thing without bowing to your god Limbaugh. Sickening. Filthy dirty mouthed Republicans. The FAMILY VALUES party. Yeah, right. You always give yourselves away.
Republicans are the ones who want the United States to become a third world country giving our jobs over seas with all these trade agreements that we end up the loosers on and wanting to give tax breaks to the wealthy , subsidies to oil companies , take away medicare , medicade , social security . We cant build bridges any more with U.S. steel . It comes from china as recycled metal which doesnt have the strength or meet code of our steel . Any one who calls the president a communist better look in the mirror at them self .
Leroy, do you know what a communist is? Did you every take economics 101 in school?
Obviously not, if he thinks trade and tax breaks made a country "third world".
Hey Ralph!!! I know!!! I know what a communist is!!! And I took Econ I II and III. And I don't know if Leroy went to school, but he sure does have it right.
And SF..........trade and tax breaks for the wealthy are making this a third word country for all but the 1%. Damn straight.
Where did you guys go to school exactly??? Oh, right, you were HOME SCHOOLED.
Really? This professional diplomat is surprised that Russia spies on foreign diplomats? So this means that Russia or China or even Iran, can expect their diplomats to not be followed?
Here is the real deal folks. Every nation uses its embassies to place spies in other nations. A good part of the staff at the embassy in Moscow work for either CIA or NSA and have networks of informants in the Russian government. ALL Embassy staffers from other nations in the United States have their movements tracked. ALL of them.
Americans are sooo arrogant. The same old, same old. Do as I say, not as I do!!!
I never knew that nowadays DIPLOMATS for any g'ment instead of holding the decorum and upholding international laws establishing diplomatic immunity and not becoming 'personae non gratae' are conducting the affairs of the state on twitter. US/State/HRC have undermined the very credibility in diplomatic conduct of state affairs. US Amb. is ticked off-news crews are tailing him- why don't you express your displeasure with proper authorities officially- not on twitter. The problem today is- none of the US adm. ever took part in international sports - World Games,Olympics etc. no wonder they have these problems.
WOW, your right we need another Republican in office. Just remember Bush/Cheney jumped into every trap Putin wanted us to walk into. Russia has already had their ass's handed to them fighting in the middle east. The loss of life and cash there most likely had more to do with the Communist parties fall from favor in Russia then anything Regan ever did during his terms in office. They just found a way to suck us into the same pit that killed their govt. and Bush/Cheney just fell for it.
Barack Obama publically announced his inability to work with Putin long ago. Now it appears he won't have anyone else in Russia to try to work with, so what will the consumate statesman do now?
Just think, if Russia emulated Indonesian law, like President Obama wants all the world to do, then Russia would imprison the Ambassador for being a potential political dissident. According to Amnesty International Indonesia imprisons routinely for political dissent and blasphemy. (E.g., "[President Obama] praised Indonesia - the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation - for a 'spirit of tolerance that is written into your constitution, symbolized in your mosques and churches and temples, and embodied in your people,' a quality worthy for all the world to emulate." Wilson, S. (Nov. 10, 2010) "Obama praises Indonesia's 'spirit of tolerance' as a model" retrieved Feb. 10, 2012 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/09/AR2010110906579.html?wprss=rss_print
To be fair, he was probably talking about the dearth of Muslim terrorists in Indonesia, despite being the largest Muslim population in the world. I doubt Obama even know that much about their government practices.
"I respect press right to go anywhere & ask any question. But do they have a right to read my email and listen to my phone?" McFaul also tweeted. "When I asked these 'reporters' how they knew my schedule, I got no answer."
Didn't you know this is now a see all transparency world? Before long all of us are going to know if you're wearing underwear or not. Nothing is private....WE'RE WATCHING YOU!!
Obama already admitted he will give in to Russia once he is in office on open mic night. After that happen, what did you think Putin will do now, since he is now in the drivers seat with Obama.
Here we go another of Obamanation's people being an ass. What next he goes and pushes to button???????/