I think Sy Hersh is a person who used to be a formidable investigative reporter, but now is just an old man who is most likely being handled and manipulated. Maybe he believes in this story. I mean, he has been at it for so long that the suspicion towards US government could became a pathological thing. Maybe he even has sources. But I suspect that even if these sources are real they were telling a carefully prepared story. He wouldn't be the first once impressive man to succumb to age-related mental degradation and he won't be the last. There are examples aplenty.
And it's not like I am simply saying these things because that's what I want to be true. Just look at Hersh's latest claims. I mean, he denies that Skripal was poisoned by Russia. While we have names and videos with Russian secret service agents who poisoned him. Or the conspiracy about bin Laden. Or his article on the Syrian war. There is a fairly clear trend here, don't you think? His article on Nord Stream 2 is an entertaining read and would make a great spy movie, but there is not a single solid argument in there. Extraordinary claims call for extraordinary evidence. He doesn't present any evidence, just writes up an eloquent BS story.
Besides, no, I don't believe that USA blew up the pipeline. It's very unlikely that the europeans would have swallowed it up just like that, especially given the fact that it happened during the energy crisis. It would have been an extremely stupid thing to do to the allies, with extremely high risk. Biden's administration is not known for making risky moves. Ukraine definitely had a motive (but hardly the means). Could be Baltic countries (but then again very high risk). No, my bet is on Russia. Sounds like exactly a thing Putin would do. The reason why I think so is that Russias reaction to the explosion was surprisingly mild, with the main talking point being "well, now EU has no other choice but open up Nord Stream 2 B unless they want to freeze". Which by the way was the only line to survive. Why would USA conveniently leave a pipe for Russia to pipe gas?
In the end, the entire "it was USA" story is based on two things: Biden saying " there won't be a Nord Stream 2", and a Polish politician making a dumb joke on Twitter. And then of course Russia claiming that it was USA, but anything Russia says should be automatically disregarded as noise. None of this makes any sense whatsoever and neither does Hersh's "story". And of course, this publication conveniently comes out exactly at the same time as many other events or claims that benefit Russia and harm Ukraine, exactly at the time of a big Russian offensive, and amidst an unusual increase in activity from Russian internet bots. This is a page from Putin's playbook. Divide, misinform, overwhelm, confuse.
