No one gave Trump a chance against Hillary. Even days before the election, the polls overwhelming gave Hillary an easy victory. Why would the Russians back someone with very little chance of winning?
The Russian influence on the election is a phony narrative that started with the DNC and Hillary. It began right after the Wikileaks revelations. Robbie Mook was on the Sunday shows blaming the Russians for hacking the DNC and Podesta servers. It blossomed into a full blown conspiracy after election day.
IMO the intel community was dead set against Flynn being the director of the NSC. He was the number one target because they believed he was a loose cannon and a maverick. Brennan, Clapper, and Comey orchestrated much of it. Taking out Trump as well was just the cherry on top.
Your observations are very good re “why would the Russians back someone with very little chance of winning”?
A couple of thoughts, since I said my column was a “supposition”, not necessarily “reality”.
Suppose the Russians knew more about Trump’s chances and Hillary’s weaknesses than most of our esteemed political pundits and pollsters?
Sometimes the play both sides against the middle, but also want to give their favorite an advantage (unbeknownst to them). Hillary was not a “threat” to the Russians or Red Chinese. She and Bill had sold out to Red China in the 90’s, along with Al Gore, so the Russians knew she would sell out to the highest bidder.
Then they realized that she was a fool re what happened with Benghazi (and that Obama, despite being a Marxist, was a weak-willed 3rd rate leader). This gave them the go-ahead to do whatever they wanted to re influencing American politics.
Did they succeed re “hackings”, disinformation, “Dossiergate” etc.? I don’t know. If they were successful, we wouldn’t know it. That’s how the KGB worked (as does its successor in name only). We still haven’t decoded all the Venona papers, 72+ years after they were first intercepted. Now that is GOOD encryption!
We still don’t know how many Soviet spies were in the US government from the 1930’s - early 50’s, including another possible set of two undiscovered rings (Observations of the late FBI undercover agent Herb Philbrick, one of my mentors). And there is circumstantial evidence that at least one spy ring could have existed in the National Bureau of Standards since 1938/39. There are names and links, but no documented evidence in the public so far. Just odds and ends documents, decades later admissions, business working relationships, and govt contracts. involving CPUSA membered companies. LONG STORY YET TO BE FINISHED.
Just remember one thing - “If someone tells you something cannot be done, you’d better be prepared for it to be done”.
We lost a number of soldiers and Intell guys in Laos because of that thinking re our “secret” observation and monitoring post on a supposedly unclimbable mountain. The NVA did climb that side no one was supposed to be able to, and overran our operation, killing Americans and possibly capturing one or more, who never were found.
If it can’t be done, someone will do it!
This applies esp. to both Russian and Red Chinese intelligence and disinformation operations.