Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 00:51, 4 January 2017

A request that this article title be changed is under discussion. Please do not move this article until the discussion is closed.

The United States government has accused the Russian government of interfering in the 2016 United States elections. In October and December 2016, the U.S. Intelligence Community stated its confidence that Russia interfered in the 2016 United States elections in an operation which the U.S. government codenamed Grizzly Steppe. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), representing 17 intelligence agencies and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) jointly stated that Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and leaked its documents to WikiLeaks. Russia said it had no involvement. President Barack Obama used the red phone line to directly contact Vladimir Putin and emphasize the importance of the cyber attacks. Intelligence agencies said they had high confidence that Russia acted to favour the election of Donald Trump. Post-election information led to "a high level of confidence" that Putin "personally directed" the operation. Russia disputed Putin's involvement. CIA Director John Brennan, FBI Director James Comey and DNI James R. Clapper agreed on the "scope, nature and intent" of Russia's interference to assist Trump. Cybersecurity firms, including CrowdStrike, Fidelis Cybersecurity, Mandiant and ThreatConnect stated that the cyberattacks were committed by Russian intelligence groups Fancy Bear and Cozy Bear.

President Obama ordered a report on foreign interventions in elections. U.S. senators called for a bipartisan investigation. President-elect Trump rejected the report, and attacked the intelligence services in a transition team statement. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange said that Russia was not involved in the leaks. Senate Majority Leader Republican Mitch McConnell expressed confidence in U.S. intelligence and supported a bipartisan investigation, as did the Senate Intelligence Committee. President Obama stated that the U.S. would retaliate against Russia. On December 29 the United States imposed the most extensive sanctions against Russia since the Cold War for its alleged election interference.

Background

Internet Research Agency

Beginning in fall 2014, The New Yorker writer Adrian Chen performed a six-month investigation into Russian propaganda online by a group called the Internet Research Agency. The New Yorker reported it was widely documented in Russian media that Evgeny Prigozhin, a close associate of Vladimir Putin, was behind the operation which hired hundreds of individuals to work in Saint Petersburg. The group was regarded as a troll farm, a term used to refer to propaganda efforts controlling many accounts online with the aim of artificially providing a semblance of a grassroots organization. Chen reported that Internet trolling was used by the Russian government as a tactic largely after observing the social media organization of the 2011 protests against Putin. Chen interviewed Russian reporters and activists who said the end goal of propaganda by the Russian government was to sow discord and chaos online.

Counter-Disinformation Team scrapped pre-election

The International Business Times reported the United States Department of State planned to use a unit formed with the intention of combating disinformation from the Russian government, and that it was disbanded in September 2015 after department heads missed the scope of propaganda before the 2016 U.S. election. The unit had been in development for 8 months prior to being scrapped. Titled Counter-Disinformation Team, it would have been a reboot of the Active Measures Working Group set up by the Reagan Administration. It was set up under the Bureau of International Information Programs. Work began in 2014, with the intention to combat propaganda from Russian sources such as "Russia Today" TV network RT. A beta website was ready and staff were hired by the U.S. State Department for the unit prior to its cancellation. U.S. Intelligence officials explained to former National Security Agency analyst and counterintelligence officer John R. Schindler that the Obama Administration decided to cancel the unit as they were afraid of antagonizing Russia. A State Department representative told the International Business Times after being contacted regarding the closure of the unit, that the U.S. was disturbed by propaganda from Russia, and the strongest defense was sincere communication. U.S. Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Richard Stengel was point person for the unit before it was canceled. Stengel previously wrote about disinformation by RT. After U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called RT a Kremlin propaganda arm, RT insisted the State Department respond. Stengel wrote that RT had engaged in a disinformation campaign.

Russian trolls' support for Trump

In December 2015, writer Adrian Chen observed a pattern of pro-Russian Twitter accounts openly supporting the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign of Donald Trump. Chen noted that Russian trolls "turned into conservatives, like fake conservatives... all tweeting about Donald Trump and stuff", and wrote "maybe it's some really opaque strategy of like, electing Donald Trump to undermine the U.S. or something, like false flag kind of thing."

Andrew Weisburd and Foreign Policy Research Institute fellow and senior fellow at the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at George Washington University, Clint Watts, wrote for The Daily Beast in August 2016 that Russian propaganda fabricated articles were popularized by social media. Weisburd and Watts documented how disinformation spread from government-controlled outlets Russia Today and Sputnik News to pro-Russian accounts on Twitter. Citing research by Chen, they compared Russian tactics during the 2016 U.S. election to Soviet Union Cold War strategies. They referenced the 1992 United States Information Agency report to the U.S. Congress, which warned about Russian propaganda called active measures. They wrote active measures were made easier with social media. Institute of International Relations Prague senior fellow and scholar on Russian intelligence, Mark Galeotti, agreed the Kremlin operations were a form of active measures. The Guardian reported in November 2016 the most strident Internet promoters of Trump were paid Russian propagandists, estimating several thousand trolls involved.

Weisburd and Watts collaborated with colleague J. M. Berger and published a follow-up to their Daily Beast article in online magazine War on the Rocks, titled: "Trolling for Trump: How Russia is Trying to Destroy Our Democracy". They researched 7,000 pro-Trump social media accounts over a two-and-a-half year period. Their research detailed trolling denigrating critics of Russian activities in Syria, and proliferating falsehoods about Clinton's health. Watts said the propaganda targeted the alt-right movement, the right wing, and fascist groups. BuzzFeed News reported Kremlin-financed trolls were open about spreading Russian disinformation.

On November 24, 2016, The Washington Post reported the Foreign Policy Research Institute stated Russian propaganda exacerbated criticism of Clinton and support for Trump. The strategy involved social media, paid Internet trolls, botnets, and websites denigrating Clinton. Watts stated Russia's goal was to damage trust in the U.S. Conclusions by Watts and colleagues Andrew Weisburd and J.M. Berger were confirmed by research from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University and by the RAND Corporation.

Cybersecurity analysis

Computer security company FireEye concluded that Russia used social media as a weapon to influence the U.S. election. It also said that the 2016 operation was a new development in cyberwarfare by Russia, which changed after fall 2014 from covert to overt tactics with decreased operational security.

Cybersecurity experts and firms, including CrowdStrike, Fidelis Cybersecurity, Mandiant, SecureWorks, and ThreatConnect, and the editor for Ars Technica, stated the leak of emails in the 2016 U.S. elections was part of a series of cyberattacks on the DNC committed by two Russian intelligence groups, called Fancy Bear and Cozy Bear. The groups are also known respectively as APT28 and APT29. ThreatConnect also concluded that the DC Leaks project shows the hallmarks of Russian intelligence, matching the attack pattern of the GRU hacker group Fancy Bear. After the cyber security analysis by multiple companies, concerns about the potential for Russian interference and influence in elections in other countries grew.

On November 29, 2016, Germany's foreign intelligence agency Federal Intelligence Service Chief Bruno Kahl [de] warned of the potential for cyberattacks by Russia in the 2017 German election, which he said would take the form of a disinformation campaign. Germany's domestic intelligence agency Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution Chief Hans-Georg Maassen said sabotage by Russian intelligence was a present threat to German information security.

On December 8, 2016, Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) Alex Younger delivered a speech at the MI6 headquarters where he criticized "Russian meddling" as a danger to domestic hegemony, and called disinformation and propaganda damaging to democracy. Younger said the mission of MI6 was to combat propaganda and disinformation in order to deliver to his government a strategic advantage in the information warfare arena, and assist other nations, including the U.S. and Europe.

U.S. intelligence analysis

Director of National Intelligence, Homeland Security and CIA

October 2016 joint statement

Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper said after the 2011–13 Russian protests, Putin's confidence in his viability as a politician was damaged, and Putin responded with the propaganda operation. Former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer Patrick Skinner explained the goal was to spread uncertainty. In July 2016, consensus grew within the CIA that Russia hacked the DNC.

In a joint statement on October 7, 2016, the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a statement on Russian influence on the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The statement expressed confidence Russia interfered in the election by stealing emails from politicians and U.S. groups and publicizing the information. The statement represented the conclusions of 17 intelligence organizations within the United States government and the United States Secretary of Homeland Security. By December 2, 2016, intelligence sources told CNN the U.S. Intelligence Community gained confidence Russia's efforts were aimed at helping Trump win the election.

December 2016 CIA report

On December 9, the CIA told U.S. legislators the U.S. Intelligence Community concluded Russia conducted operations during the 2016 U.S. election to assist Donald Trump in winning the presidency. Multiple U.S intelligence agencies concluded people with direct ties to the Kremlin gave WikiLeaks hacked emails from the DNC and sources such as John Podesta, campaign chairman for Hillary Clinton. These intelligence organizations concluded Russia hacked the RNC as well as the DNC—and chose not to leak information obtained from the RNC. A senior administration official told The New York Times said they had high confidence Russians hacked into both the DNC and the RNC and chose not to publicize files from the RNC. This was based on evidence obtained before the election. A senior U.S. official said this was the consensus of multiple intelligence agencies. The CIA said the foreign intelligence agents were Russian operatives previously known to the U.S. The CIA told U.S. Senators it was strongly apparent Russia's intentions were to help Trump.

Vladimir Putin involvement

NBC News reported two senior federal employees said post-election intelligence led officials to believe Vladimir Putin personally controlled the operation. They said Putin's motives started as a feud against Hillary Clinton, and grew into a desire to foment global distrust of the U.S. They said the operation needed approval by top Russian officials, as Putin maintained absolute control. This assessment was echoed by officials to CBS News. ABC News reported similar accounts from U.S. and foreign officials. According to ABC News, the operation began with low-level Russian military, as an effort to penetrate computers belonging to Democratic and Republican politicians. Putin became personally involved after Russia accessed the DNC. Two senior officials told CNN the scale of the operation required support from the Russian government's top authority. Reuters reported that under Putin's direction the goals evolved from criticizing American democracy to attacking Clinton. Putin's aims shifted to help elect Trump during 2016, as he felt the candidate would favor Russia with regards to U.S. financial sanctions. An intelligence official explained to Reuters that due to Putin's prior experience as an operative for the KGB, he maintained tighter control over Russian intelligence operations.

Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes appeared on MSNBC on December 15, 2016 and agreed with this assessment, saying operations of this magnitude required Putin's consent. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest noted in a December 15 press conference that the U.S. Intelligence Community reached similar conclusions, and he quoted from the October 2016 joint-letter by the Director of National Intelligence and Department of Homeland Security, saying the operation required top-level Russian government approval.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

In June 2016, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) notified the Illinois Republican Party in June that some of its email accounts may have been hacked. On October 31, 2016, The New York Times stated that the FBI had been examining possible connections between Trump and Russia did not find a connection. At the time FBI officials thought Russia was motivated to create chaos generally and not specifically elect Trump. An unnamed official disputed the RNC servers were hacked, and stated that Russian attempts to access the RNC server were unsuccessful. In a December 11, 2016 interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News, RNC chair Reince Priebus stated they communicated with the FBI when they learned about hacking of the DNC, and after a review it was determined their servers were secure. During a House Intelligence Committee hearing, the FBI said they were unclear as to motive.

On December 16, 2016, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John O. Brennan stated the FBI and Director of National Intelligence supported the CIA's conclusion that the Russian government interfered in the U.S. elections in 2016 with the motive of assisting Donald Trump in securing the White House, and attacking U.S. democratic values. Brennan sent a letter to his staff saying he held a meeting with Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation James Comey and Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper, and that all were in agreement about these conclusions. Brennan's letter stated: "Earlier this week, I met separately with (Director) FBI James Comey and DNI Jim Clapper, and there is strong consensus among us on the scope, nature, and intent of Russian interference in our presidential election." Brennan said the FBI, CIA, and DNI all acknowledged the importance of working together to complete the president's order to investigate.

December 29 Joint Analysis Report

On December 29, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a Joint Analysis Report titled "GRIZZLY STEPPE – Russian Malicious Cyber Activity". It gave new "technical details regarding the tools and infrastructure used by the Russian civilian and military intelligence Services (RIS) to compromise and exploit networks and endpoints associated with the U.S. election, as well as a range of U.S. Government, political, and private sector entities."

The report included malware samples and other technical details as evidence that the Russian government had hacked the Democratic National Committee. Alongside the report, DHS "released an extensive list of Internet Protocol addresses, computer files, malware code and other 'signatures' that it said the Russian hackers have used."

Cybersecurity experts cited in the Süddeutsche Zeitung stated that the technical details included in the Joint Analysis Report were not sufficient to prove that the Russian government was responsible for the intrusion. The Süddeutsche Zeitung notes that US intelligence services may be keeping some information secret to protect their sources and analysis methods. An article in Ars Technica also noted some cybersecurity experts' concerns about the report. ZDNet noted that the PHP malware included in the JAR is "an out-of-date, web-shell hacking tool," which—according to Rob Graham, CEO of Errata Security—is "used by hundreds if not thousands of hackers, mostly associated with Russia, but also throughout the rest of the world."

Government response

U.S. Senate

Members of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee traveled to Ukraine and Poland in 2016 and learned about Russian operations to influence their elections. U.S. Senator Angus King said tactics used by Russia during the 2016 U.S. election were analogous to those used against other countries. King said the problem frustrated both political parties. On November 30, 2016, seven members of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee asked President Obama to declassify and publicize more information on Russia's role in the U.S. election. Representatives in the U.S. Congress took action to monitor the national security of the United States by advancing legislation to monitor propaganda. On November 30, 2016, legislators approved a measure within the National Defense Authorization Act to ask the U.S. State Department act against propaganda with an inter-agency panel. The initiative was developed through a bipartisan bill, the Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act, written by U.S. Senators Republican Rob Portman and Democrat Chris Murphy. U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee member Ron Wyden said frustration over covert Russian propaganda was bipartisan.

Republican U.S. Senators stated they planned to hold hearings and investigate Russian influence on the 2016 U.S. elections. By doing so they went against the preference of incoming Republican President-elect Trump, who downplayed Russian interference. U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain and U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr planned investigations of Russian cyberwarfare. U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker planned a 2017 investigation. Senator Lindsey Graham indicated he would conduct an investigation in the 115th Congress. On December 11, 2016, top-ranking bipartisan members of the U.S. Senate issued a joint statement together on December 11, 2016 responding to the intelligence assessments Russia influenced the election. The two Republican signers were Senators Graham and McCain, both members of the Armed Services Committee; the two Democratic signers were incoming Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senator Jack Reed, the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee. They said Russian interference was deeply troubling and a bipartisan concern.

In a response to Trump's disregard for the U.S. intelligence assessments on Russia, Republican Senator John McCain said: "The facts are there." Senator McCain called for a special select committee of the U.S. Senate to investigate Russian meddling in the election. Republican Senator and Intelligence Committee member James Lankford agreed looking into Russian influence on the elections should be cooperative between parties. Republican Senator Susan Collins said a bipartisan investigation should improve proactive cyber defence. Outgoing Senate Democratic Caucus leader Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said the FBI covered up information about Russian interference in a bid to swing the election for Trump. Reid accused FBI Director James Comey of partisanship, and called for his resignation.

On December 12, 2016, Senate Majority Leader Republican Mitch McConnell disagreed with Trump and expressed confidence in U.S. intelligence. McConnell added that investigation of Russia's actions "should not be a partisan issue" and said that it "defies belief" that some members of the Republican Party would not want such an investigation. McConnell announced the Senate intelligence panel would conduct an investigation into Russian interference.

In a joint bipartisan letter issued on December 18, Senators McCain, Graham, Schumer, and Reed urged McConnell to create a new, select committee to undertake a "comprehensive investigation of Russian interference" and develop "comprehensive recommendations and, as necessary, new legislation to modernize our nation’s laws, governmental organization, and related practices to meet this challenge." McConnell, by contrast, has thus far held that the Senate Intelligence Committee is "more than capable of conducting a complete review" and that creating a select committee was unnecessary.

In a December 14, 2016 interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN, Senator Lindsey Graham said Russians hacked into his Senate campaign email. Graham said the FBI contacted his campaign in August 2016 to notify them of the breach in security which occurred in June to his campaign vendor. On December 15, 2016, Senator Graham stated in order for Trump's nominee for United States Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, to earn his confirmation vote, Tillerson would need to acknowledge his belief Russia interfered in the 2016 elections. On December 16, 2016, U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr said he supported the U.S. intelligence community conclusions. Burr stated intelligence employees working for the U.S. are diverse and hold varied political views. The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee issued a release emphasizing they earnestly took into consideration the fact that both the Senate Majority and Minority Leaders were in agreement a bipartisan investigation should take place.

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, commented on Putin's aims, and said U.S. intelligence agencies were concerned with Russian propaganda. Speaking about disinformation that appeared in Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland, Schiff said there was an increase of the same behavior in the U.S. Schiff concluded Russian propaganda operations would continue against the U.S. after the election. He put forth a recommendation for a combined House and Senate investigation similar to the Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities before and after the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001.

Republican U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said external interference in U.S. elections was intolerable. Ryan said an investigation should be conducted by Nunes, and stated interference from Russia was troubling due to Putin's activities against the U.S. On December 12, 2016, U.S. House Intelligence Committee chairman Representative Devin Nunes emphasized that at the time he had only viewed circumstantial evidence Russia intended to assist Trump win. On December 14, Nunes requested a formal briefing gain more information about assertions officials had revealed to the media,; the DNI refused, citing the ongoing review ordered by President Obama.

Obama administration

President Obama and Vladimir Putin had a discussion about computer security issues in September 2016, which took place over the course of an hour and a half. During the discussion, which took place as a side segment during the then-ongoing G20 summit in China, Obama made his views known on cyber security matters between the U.S. and Russia. One month after that discussion the email leaks from the DNC cyber attack had not ceased, and President Obama decided to contact Putin on the Moscow–Washington hotline, commonly known as the "red phone". During this discussion which took place on October 31, 2016, President Obama utilized the phrase "armed conflict" to emphasize the gravity of the situation. He told Putin: "International law, including the law for armed conflict, applies to actions in cyberspace. We will hold Russia to those standards." A representative for the White House confirmed to NBC News that the red phone line was utilized to contact the Kremlin directly on October 31, 2016.

On December 9, 2016, President Obama ordered the U.S. Intelligence Community to investigate Russian interference in the election and report before he leaves office on January 20, 2017. U.S. Homeland Security Advisor and chief counterterrorism advisor to the president Lisa Monaco announced the study, and said foreign intrusion into a U.S. election was unprecedented and would necessitate investigation by subsequent administrations. The intelligence analysis would cover malicious cyberwarfare during the 2008 election to 2016. A senior administration official told CNN the White House was confident Russia interfered in the election. The official said the ordered by President Obama would be a lessons learned report, with options including sanctions and covert cyber response against Russia.

On December 12, 2016, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest was critical of Trump's rejection of the idea that Russia used cyber-attacks to influence the election. Earnest contrasted Trump's comments on Twitter with the October 2016 conclusions of the U.S. Intelligence Community. At a subsequent White House press conference on December 15, Earnest said Trump and the public were aware prior to the 2016 election of Russian interference efforts, calling these undisputed facts. United States Secretary of State John Kerry spoke on December 15, 2016, about President Obama's decision to approve the October 2016 joint statement by the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Kerry stated the president's decision was deliberative and relied upon information cautiously weighed by the intelligence agencies. He said the president felt a need to warn the U.S. public and did.

President Obama was interviewed about the Russian covert operation on December 15, 2016 in an interview with National Public Radio journalist Steve Inskeep for the next day's Morning Edition program. Obama said the U.S. government would respond in overt and covert methods. The president said the government would be better able to speak to motive behind the Russian operation after the intelligence report he ordered was completed. Obama emphasized Russian efforts caused more harm to Clinton than Trump during the campaign. At a press conference the following day, President Obama highlighted his September 2016 admonition to Putin to cease engaging in cyberwarfare against the U.S. Obama explained the U.S. did not publicly reciprocate against Russia's actions due to a fear such choices would appear partisan. He said the U.S. would respond in order to send an unambiguous symbol to the world there were harsh consequences for such interference. President Obama minimized conflict between his administration and the Trump transition, stressing cyber warfare against the U.S. should be a bipartisan issue.

Sanctions imposed on Russia

On 29 December 2016, the United States government announced the most extensive sanctions against Russia since the Cold War; it imposed sanctions on four top officials of the GRU and declared 35 Russian operatives in the United States persona non grata and ordered them to leave the country within 72 hours, and announced further sanctions, some of which may not be disclosed to the public. The United States Department of State also announced the closure of two waterfront compounds used by Russian intelligence agents, one in Upper Brookville, New York, on Long Island, and the other in Centreville, Maryland, on the Eastern Shore. A White House statement said that "Russia's cyberactivities were intended to influence the election, erode faith in US democratic institutions, sow doubt about the integrity of our electoral process, and undermine confidence in the institutions of the US government." President Obama said "these actions follow repeated private and public warnings that we have issued to the Russian government, and are a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm US interests in violation of established international norms of behavior."

On December 30, two compounds in Maryland and New York which had served as luxury retreats for various Russian diplomats in the previous decades were shut down on orders of the US government.

Commentary and reactions

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton appeared on December 15, 2016 at the Plaza Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, New York City and gave a gratitude speech to her campaign donors in which she reflected on Putin's motivations for the covert operation. She partially attributed her loss in the 2016 election to Russian meddling organized by Putin. Clinton said Putin had a personal grudge against her, and linked his feelings to her criticism of the 2011 Russian legislative election and that he felt she was responsible for fomenting the 2011–13 Russian protests. She drew a specific connection from her 2011 assertions as U.S. Secretary of State in 2011 that Putin rigged the elections that year, to his actions in the 2016 U.S. elections. Clinton said that by personally attacking her through meddling in the election Putin additionally took a strike at the American democratic system. She said the cyber warfare was a larger issue than herself personally, and called them an attempt to attack the national security of the United States. Clinton noted she was unsuccessful in sufficiently publicizing to the media the cyber attacks against her campaign in the months leading up to the election. She voiced her support for a proposal put forth by U.S. Senators from both parties, to set up an investigative panel to look into the matter akin to the 9/11 Commission.

Republican National Committee

The RNC said there was no intrusion into its servers, while acknowledging email accounts of individual Republicans (including Colin Powell) were breached. Over 200 emails from Colin Powell were posted on the website DC Leaks. Chief of staff-designate for Trump and outgoing RNC Chairman Reince Priebus appeared on Meet the Press on December 11, 2016, and discounted the CIA conclusions. Priebus relayed the FBI investigated and found RNC servers had not been hacked. When asked by Chuck Todd whether Russia interfered in the election, Priebus stated there had been no decisive document asserting Russian involvement — a statement rated "False" by the fact-checking website Politifact.com, who noted Priebus neglected conclusions from the Director of Intelligence and Department of Homeland Security from October 2016.

Donald Trump

Prior to his presidential run, Donald Trump made statements to Fox News in 2014 in which he agreed with an assessment by FBI director James Comey about hacking against the US by Russia and China. Trump was played a clip of Comey from 60 Minutes discussing the dangers of cyber attacks. Trump stated he agreed with the problem of cyber threats posed by China, and went on to emphasize there was a similar problem towards the US posed by Russia: "No, I think he's 100% right, it's a big problem, and we have that problem also with Russia. You saw that over the weekend. Russia's doing the same thing."

In September 2016, during the first presidential debate, Trump said he doubted whether anyone was aware who hacked the DNC, and disputed Russian interference. During the second debate, Trump said there might not have been hacking at all, and questioned why accountability was placed on Russia. After the election, Trump rejected the CIA analysis. Trump's transition team offered an official statement drawing attention to prior inaccuracy at the CIA. The statement said, regarding those at the CIA who concluded Russian interference in the election, "These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction." However, the intelligence analysts involved in monitoring Russian activities are most likely different from those who assessed that Iraq had stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. Reacting to The Washington Post's reporting, Trump dismissed reports of Russia's interference, and calling them "ridiculous"; he placed blame on Democrats upset over election results for publicizing these reports.

Trump praised Putin for delaying any retaliatory measures against the United States by saying it was a "Great move on delay" and added "I always knew he was very smart!"

WikiLeaks

In July 2016, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange stated he had not seen evidence emails leaked from the DNC were traceable to Russia. In November 2016, Assange said Russia was not the source of John Podesta's hacked emails published by Wikileaks. Assange refused to elaborate on reports that appeared in The Daily Mail, that his associate Craig Murray traveled to the U.S. to obtain the leaked materials on his behalf, from a third-party who knew someone else with "legal access" to the Podesta and DNC emails. Assange said that Murray had no permission to speak on behalf of WikiLeaks.

Russian government

The Russian government said it had no involvement. In a statement given to Reuters in Moscow, Dmitry Peskov representative for Russian president Vladimir Putin said there was no likelihood Russia or its governmental organizations participated. Sergei Lavrov, Foreign Minister of Russia, rejected reports of Russian involvement in the 2016 U.S. elections. ABC News noted on reports Putin was directly involved in the covert operation, his representative referred to these accounts as "nonsense". Peskov said it was "rubbish". Reuters reported Sergei Lavrov appeared on government television station Rossiya-24 to speak about assertions Putin directed the election interference. Lavrov was shocked by the first reporting on the development by NBC News, and called such assertions "silly". On December 16, 2016, Peskov called on the U.S. government to cease discussion of the topic unless it provides evidence to back up the assertions of Russian interference during the election.

Electoral College

On December 10, ten electors, headed by Christine Pelosi, wrote an open letter to the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper demanding an intelligence briefing on investigations into foreign intervention in the presidential election. Fifty-eight additional electors subsequently added their names to the letter, bringing the total to 68 electors from 17 different states. The Clinton campaign supported the call for a classified briefing for electors, with John Podesta saying: "Electors have a solemn responsibility under the Constitution and we support their efforts to have their questions addressed."

Intelligence community

Current members

The CIA assessment, and Trump's dismissal of it, created an immediate and unprecedented rupture between the president-elect and the intelligence community. On December 11, 2016, U.S. intelligence officials responded to Trump's denunciation of its findings in a written statement, and expressed dismay Trump disputed their conclusions as politically motivated or inaccurate. They wrote intelligence officials were motivated to defend U.S. national security. On the same day, The Guardian reported that members of the intelligence community feared reprisals from Donald Trump once he takes office, in response to the reports that have been issued. Serving officers pointed to Trump's attempts to identify civil servants in the Department of Energy that had participated in symposiums on climate change as a parallel example. Other serving officers stated that retaliation by Trump was a near certainty.

Former members

Former CIA director Michael Morell said foreign interference in U.S. elections was an existential threat and called it the "political equivalent" of the September 11 attacks. In a Washington Post op-ed, former NSA director and CIA director Michael V. Hayden wrote that Trump's attack on the Intelligence Community's findings diminished the chances that the incoming administration would use intelligence for logical policy-making decisions. Former CIA spokesman George E. Little condemned Trump for dismissing the CIA assessment, saying that the president-elect's atypical response was disgraceful and denigrated the courage of those who serve in the CIA at risk to their own lives. Another former CIA spokesman, Bill Harlow, said that the dispute between Trump and the CIA was a hideous development and unheard of to occur publicly.

Independent presidential candidate and former CIA intelligence officer Evan McMullin said Republican leadership did not respond adequately during the 2016 election to their knowledge at the time about Russia's efforts to meddle in the process. McMullin said Republican politicians were aware the publicly revealed information about Russia's interference was likely simply the tip of the iceberg relative to the actual threat. McMullin said that with his experience having worked as an intelligence officer he was distressed by the CIA revelations. He said Republicans had not acted on the issue sufficiently during the election because they placed importance of the Republican party over U.S. national concerns.

Experts and scholars

Former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University, writing in The Washington Post, called the known facts about Russian interference in the election worrying and called for a full investigation to determine the facts that were still uncertain. McFaul said the investigation announced by President Obama was a smart first step, and wrote a significant inquiry would take longer, its investigators should come from both political parties, and look into decisions by the Obama Administration itself. McFaul called for a bipartisan inquiry to prepare for the 2020 U.S. election.

Historian Robert S. McElvaine wrote that there should be significant upset over the CIA's conclusion of Russian interference, and called upon the Electoral College to adopt a Government of National Unity.

Cybersecurity columnist, Joseph Steinberg, writing in Inc., stated an investigation into the possible hacking was warranted. Steinberg questioned if the public had a right to know whether there was negligence on the part of the government in protecting voting infrastructure, and by the DNC in protecting its information systems.

See also

• Democratic National Committee cyber attacks
• 2016 Democratic National Committee email leak
• Cozy Bear
• Cyberwarfare by Russia
• Office of Personnel Management data breach
• Cyberwarfare in China
• DC Leaks
• Fancy Bear
• Operation Aurora
• Russian espionage in the United States
• Yahoo! data breaches

Notes

1. APT is an acronym for Advanced Persistent Threat.

References

1. Ryan, Missy; Nakashima, Ellen; DeYoung, Karen (December 29, 2016). "Obama administration announces measures to punish Russia for 2016 election interference". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
2. ^ Greenberg, Jon (December 11, 2016), "Reince Priebus falsely claims no conclusive report whether Russia tried to influence election", Politifact.com, retrieved December 12, 2016
3. ^ Chris Strohm, Russian hacking began as 'Grizzly Steppe' before turning into far-reaching operation, says FBI, Homeland Security report, Bloomberg (December 30, 2016).
4. ^ Nakashima, Ellen. "U.S. government officially accuses Russia of hacking campaign to interfere with elections". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
5. ^ Ackerman, Spencer; Thielman, Sam. "US officially accuses Russia of hacking DNC and interfering with election". The Guardian. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
6. ^ CNN, Evan Perez and Theodore Schleifer. "US accuses Russia of trying to interfere with 2016 election". CNN. Retrieved October 7, 2016. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
7. ^ Moscow denies Russian involvement in U.S. DNC hacking, Reuters (June 14, 2016).
8. ^ Arkin, William M.; Dilanian, Ken; McFadden, Cynthia (December 19, 2016), "What Obama Said to Putin on the Red Phone About the Election Hack", NBC News, retrieved December 22, 2016
9. ^ Entous, Adam; Nakashima, Ellen; Miller, Greg, "Secret CIA assessment says Russia was trying to help Trump win White House", The Washington Post
10. ^ David E. Sanger & Scott Shane, Russian Hackers Acted to Aid Trump in Election, U.S. Says, New York Times (December 9, 2016).
11. ^ William M. Arkin, Ken Dilanian and Cynthia McFadden (December 14, 2016), U.S. Officials: Putin Personally Involved in U.S. Election Hack, NBC News, retrieved December 14, 2016
12. ^ Pegues, Jeff (December 14, 2016), More details on U.S. probe of Russian hacking of DNC (video), CBS News, retrieved December 15, 2016 – via YouTube
13. ^ Brian Ross; Rhonda Schwartz; James Gordon Meek (December 15, 2016), "Officials: Master Spy Vladimir Putin Now Directly Linked to US Hacking", ABC News, retrieved December 15, 2016
14. ^ Entous, Adam; Nakashima, Ellen (December 16, 2016), "FBI backs CIA view that Russia intervened to help Trump win election", The Washington Post, retrieved December 16, 2016
15. ^ Lederman, Josh; Klapper, Bradley (December 16, 2016), Official: FBI Backs CIA Conclusion on Russian Hacking Motive, ABC News, retrieved December 16, 2016 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
16. ^ Dilanian, Ken (December 16, 2016), "FBI Agrees with CIA Assessment That Russia Wanted to Help Trump", NBC News, retrieved December 16, 2016
17. ^ Goodin, Dan. ""Guccifer" leak of DNC Trump research has a Russian's fingerprints on it". arstechnica. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
18. ^ "DNC email leak: Russian hackers Cozy Bear and Fancy Bear behind breach". The Guardian. July 26, 2016.
19. ^ Sanger, David E.; Shane, Scott (December 9, 2016). "Russian Hackers Acted to Aid Trump in Election, U.S. Says". The New York Times. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
20. ^ Washington, Spencer Ackerman and David Smith (December 9, 2016). "Barack Obama orders 'full review' of possible Russian hacking in U.S. election". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
21. ^ CNN, Tal Kopan, Kevin Liptak and Jim Sciutto. "Obama orders review of Russian election-related hacking". CNN. Retrieved December 10, 2016. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
22. ^ Seung Min Kim; Burgess Everett (December 11, 2016), "Trump vs. Congress on Russian hacking", Politico
23. ^ Levine, Sam (December 10, 2016). "Chuck Schumer Calls For Investigation Into Russian Interference In The Election". The Huffington Post. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
24. ^ Eric Bradner, Trump on Russian hacking: 'I don't believe it', CNN (December 11, 2016).
25. ^ Nicholas Fando, Trump Links C.I.A. Reports on Russia to Democrats’ Shame Over Election, New York Times (December 11, 2016).
26. ^ Sanger, David E. (December 10, 2016). "Trump, Mocking Claim That Russia Hacked Election, at Odds with G.O.P." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
27. ^ "Team Trump Mocks Suggestion of Russian Meddling in Election". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
28. ^ "WikiLeaks' Assange denies Russia behind Podesta hack". Politico. November 3, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
29. ^ Alex Johnson, WikiLeaks' Julian Assange: 'No Proof' Hacked DNC Emails Came From Russia, NBC News (July 25, 2016).
30. ^ "McConnell, Differing With Trump, Says He Has 'Highest Confidence' In Intel Agencies". Retrieved December 12, 2016.
31. ^ Rhodan, Maya. "Sen. Mitch McConnell: "The Russians are not our friends."". Retrieved December 12, 2016.
32. ^ Keith, Tamara (December 16, 2016), "In Leaked Remarks, Hillary Clinton Explains Putin's 'Beef' With Her", National Public Radio, retrieved December 17, 2016
33. ^ Detrow, Scott (December 15, 2016), "Obama On Russian Hacking: 'We Need To Take Action. And We Will'", National Public Radio, retrieved December 16, 2016
34. ^ Shear, Michael D.; Landler, Mark (December 16, 2016), "Obama Says He Told Putin: 'Cut It Out' on Hacking", The New York Times, retrieved December 16, 2016
35. Lee, Carol E.; Sonne, Paul (December 30, 2016). "U.S. Sanctions Russia Over Election Hacking; Moscow Threatens to Retaliate" – via Wall Street Journal.
36. ^ Chen, Adrian (July 27, 2016), "The Real Paranoia-Inducing Purpose of Russian Hacks", The New Yorker, retrieved November 26, 2016
37. ^ Porter, Tom (November 28, 2016), "How US and EU failings allowed Kremlin propaganda and fake news to spread through the West", International Business Times, retrieved November 29, 2016
38. ^ Schindler, John R. (November 5, 2015), "Obama Fails to Fight Putin's Propaganda Machine", New York Observer, retrieved November 28, 2016
39. ^ Schindler, John R. (November 26, 2016), "The Kremlin Didn't Sink Hillary—Obama Did", New York Observer, retrieved November 28, 2016
40. ^ LoGiurato, Brett (April 29, 2014), "Russia's Propaganda Channel Just Got A Journalism Lesson From The US State Department", Business Insider, retrieved November 29, 2016
41. LoGiurato, Brett (April 25, 2014), "RT Is Very Upset With John Kerry For Blasting Them As Putin's 'Propaganda Bullhorn'", Business Insider, retrieved November 29, 2016
42. ^ Stengel, Richard (April 29, 2014), "Russia Today's Disinformation Campaign", Dipnote, United States Department of State, retrieved November 28, 2016
43. ^ Weisburd, Andrew; Watts, Clint (August 6, 2016), "Trolls for Trump - How Russia Dominates Your Twitter Feed to Promote Lies (And, Trump, Too)", The Daily Beast, retrieved November 24, 2016
44. "Longform Podcast #171: Adrian Chen". Longform. November 9, 2015. See dialogue from 35:14 to 35:54
45. ^ Dougherty, Jill (December 2, 2016), The reality behind Russia's fake news, CNN, retrieved December 2, 2016
46. Ali Watkins; Sheera Frenkel (November 30, 2016), "Intel Officials Believe Russia Spreads Fake News", BuzzFeed News, retrieved December 1, 2016
47. Benedictus, Leo (November 6, 2016), "Invasion of the troll armies: from Russian Trump supporters to Turkish state stooges", The Guardian, retrieved December 2, 2016
48. ^ "U.S. officials defend integrity of vote, despite hacking fears", WITN-TV, November 26, 2016, retrieved December 2, 2016
49. Andrew Weisburd; Clint Watts; JM Berger (November 6, 2016), "Trolling for Trump: How Russia is Trying to Destroy Our Democracy", War on the Rocks, retrieved December 6, 2016
50. Frenkel, Sheera (November 4, 2016), "US Officials Are More Worried About The Media Being Hacked Than The Ballot Box", BuzzFeed News, retrieved December 2, 2016
51. ^ Timberg, Craig (November 24, 2016), "Russian propaganda effort helped spread 'fake news' during election, experts say", The Washington Post, retrieved November 25, 2016
52. ^ "Russian propaganda effort likely behind flood of fake news that preceded election", PBS NewsHour, Associated Press, November 25, 2016, retrieved November 26, 2016
53. ^ "Russian propaganda campaign reportedly spread 'fake news' during US election", Nine News, Agence France-Presse, November 26, 2016, retrieved November 26, 2016
54. Strohm, Chris (December 1, 2016), "Russia Weaponized Social Media in U.S. Election, FireEye Says", Bloomberg News, retrieved December 1, 2016
55. Alperovitch, Dmitri (June 15, 2016). "Bears in the Midst: Intrusion into the Democratic National Committee". CrowdStrike. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
56. Links to the full series of ThreatConnect reports following the DNC Breach can be found at the beginning of the report Can a BEAR Fit Down a Rabbit Hole?.
57. GALLAGHER, SEAN. "RECAPPING THE FACTS — Did the Russians "hack" the election? A look at the established facts". ArsTechnica. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
58. Shieber, Jonathan; Conger, Kate. "Did Russian government hackers leak the DNC emails?". TechCrunch. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
59. "DNC email leak: Sanders calls for new leader as Clinton camp blames Russia". The Guardian. July 24, 2016.
60. "Wikileaks posts nearly 20,000 hacked DNC emails online". Providence Journal. July 22, 2016.
61. ^ Murdock, Jason (November 30, 2016), "Russian hackers may disrupt Germany's 2017 election warns spy chief", International Business Times UK edition, retrieved December 1, 2016
62. ^ U. S. Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation (December 29, 2016). "GRIZZLY STEPPE – Russian Malicious Cyber Activity" (PDF). US-CERT. United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
63. "Does a BEAR Leak in the Woods?". Threat Connect. August 12, 2016.
64. Riley, Michael (August 11, 2016). "Russian Hackers of DNC Said to Nab Secrets From NATO, Soros". Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg News. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
65. Meyer, Josh (August 27, 2016). "Experts: Same Russians hacked Olympic whistleblower, Democrats". nbcnews.com. NBC News. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
66. Paletta, Damian (August 15, 2016). "Democrats Brace for More Leaks From Hackers". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
67. DuVall, Eric (August 13, 2016). "Suspected Russian hackers release lawmakers' personal information". upi.com. United Press International. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
68. Farmer, Ben (December 8, 2016), "Head of MI6: Britain faces 'fundamental threat to sovereignty from Russian meddling'", The Daily Telegraph, retrieved December 21, 2016
69. ^ Waterson, Jim (December 8, 2016), "MI6 Chief Says Fake News And Online Propaganda Are A Threat To Democracy", BuzzFeed News, retrieved December 11, 2016
70. ^ Cite error: The named reference putinwinstheelection was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
71. Schatz, Bryan, "The Kremlin Would Be Proud of Trump's Propaganda Playbook", Mother Jones, retrieved December 2, 2016
72. "Spy Agency Consensus Grows That Russia Hacked D.N.C." New York Times. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
73. Jim Sciutto & Manu Raju, Democrats want Russian hacking intelligence declassified, CNN (December 2, 2016).
74. ^ Adam Entous; Ellen Nakashima; Greg Miller (December 9, 2016), "Secret CIA assessment says Russia was trying to help Trump win White House", The Washington Post, retrieved December 10, 2016
75. ^ Chris Sanchez; Bryan Logan (December 9, 2016), "The CIA says it has evidence that Russia tried to help Trump win the US election", Business Insider, retrieved December 10, 2016
76. Sommerfeldt, Chris (December 9, 2016), "Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the White House: report", New York Daily News, retrieved December 10, 2016
77. Mazzetti, Mark; Lichblau, Eric (December 11, 2016). "C.I.A. Judgment on Russia Built on Swell of Evidence". New York Times. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
78. Mary Louise Kelly (December 10, 2016), CIA Concludes Russian Interference Aimed To Elect Trump, NPR
79. ^ Barbara Starr; Pamela Brown; Evan Perez; Jim Sciutto; Elise Labott (December 15, 2016), Intel analysis shows Putin approved election hacking, CNN, retrieved December 15, 2016
80. ^ "Putin turned Russia election hacks in Trump's favor: U.S. officials", Reuters, December 15, 2016, retrieved December 16, 2016
81. ^ Lawler, David (December 15, 2016), "Vladimir Putin 'personally directed Russian hack of US election'", The Daily Telegraph, retrieved December 15, 2016
82. ^ Kreiter, Marcy (December 14, 2016), "Russia Election Hack Update: Putin Reportedly Directed Effort To Undermine US Election", International Business Times, retrieved December 15, 2016
83. Kathy Gilsinan; Krishnadev Calamur (December 14, 2016), "Did Putin Direct Russian Hacking? And Other Big Questions", The Atlantic, retrieved December 15, 2016
84. ^ "White House suggests Putin involved in hacking, ups Trump criticism", Fox News, Associated Press, December 15, 2016, retrieved December 15, 2016
85. Pearson, Rick. "FBI told state GOP in June its emails had been hacked". chicagotribune.com.
86. ^ Lichtblau, Eric; Myers, Steven Lee (October 31, 2016). "Investigating Donald Trump, F.B.I. Sees No Clear Link to Russia". The New York Times. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
87. ^ Rossoll, Nicki (December 11, 2016). "Reince Priebus: 'RNC Was Not Hacked'". ABC News. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
88. Seipel, Brooke (December 11, 2016). "US intelligence split on motive for Russian election interference". Retrieved December 12, 2016.
89. Joint DHS, ODNI, FBI Statement on Russian Malicious Cyber Activity, FBI National Press Office (December 29, 2016). See full text of report provided by United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team; also republished by the Chicago Tribune.
90. ^ Sanger, David E. (December 29, 2016). "Obama Strikes Back at Russia for Election Hacking". The New York Times. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
91. Brühl, Jannis; Tanriverdi, Hakan (December 30, 2016). "Viele Indizien gegen Russland, aber kaum Beweise". Süddeutsche Zeitung. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
92. Goodin, Dan (December 30, 2016). "White House fails to make case that Russian hackers tampered with election". Ars Technica. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
93. Vaughan-Nichols, Steven J. (January 2, 2017). "No smoking gun for Russian DNC hacks". ZDNet. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
94. ^ Miller, Kevin (December 1, 2016), "Angus King: Russian involvement in U.S. election 'an arrow aimed at the heart of democracy'", Portland Press Herald, retrieved December 2, 2016
95. Jim Sciutto; Manu Raju (December 3, 2016), Democrats want Russian hacking intelligence declassified, CNN, retrieved December 3, 2016
96. Staff report (November 30, 2016), "Angus King among senators asking president to declassify information about Russia and election", Portland Press Herald, retrieved December 2, 2016
97. ^ Timberg, Craig (November 30, 2016), "Effort to combat foreign propaganda advances in Congress", The Washington Post, retrieved December 1, 2016
98. ^ Porter, Tom (December 1, 2016), "US House of representatives backs proposal to counter global Russian subversion", International Business Times UK edition, retrieved December 1, 2016
99. ^ Demirjian, Karoun (December 8, 2016), "Republicans ready to launch wide-ranging probe of Russia, despite Trump's stance", Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, retrieved December 10, 2016
100. Senate Republicans join Democrats in calling for probe of Russian electioneering hacks, CBS News, December 11, 2016, retrieved December 11, 2016 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
101. Peralta, Eyder (December 11, 2016), "As Trump Dismisses CIA, Congress Looks To Confront Russian Cyberattacks", National Public Radio, retrieved December 11, 2016
102. John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Schumer, Jack Reed (December 11, 2016), McCain, Graham, Schumer, Reed Joint Statement on Reports That Russia Interfered with the 2016 Election, United States Senate Committee on Armed Services, retrieved December 11, 2016{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
103. Seung Min Kim & Burgess Everett, Trump vs. Congress on Russian hacking, Politico (December 11, 2016).
104. McCain to Trump on Russian hacking: 'The facts are there' - CBS, December 11, 2016, retrieved December 11, 2016 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
105. Meyer, Theodoric (December 11, 2016), "McCain wants select committee to investigate Russian hacking", Politico {{citation}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
106. Brown, Greg (December 11, 2016), "Lankford joins in call for bipartisan investigation into Russian election interference", KOKI-TV, retrieved December 11, 2016
107. Elise Viebeck; Karoun Demirjian (December 11, 2016), "Key GOP senators join call for bipartisan Russia election probe, even as their leaders remain mum", The Washington Post, retrieved December 12, 2016
108. David Smith, FBI covered up Russian influence on Trump's election win, Harry Reid claims, The Guardian (December 10, 2016).
109. O'Keefe, Ed; Kane, Paul (December 12, 2016). "McConnell announces Senate probe of suspected Russian election interference: 'The Russians are not our friends'". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
110. ^ Nicholas Fandos, Bipartisan Letter Seeks Single Inquiry Into Russian Hacking Claims, New York Times (December 18, 2016).
111. ^ Diaz, Daniella (December 14, 2016), "Graham: Russians hacked my campaign email account", CNN, retrieved December 15, 2016
112. ^ Blitzer, Wolf (December 14, 2016), "Graham: Russians hacked my campaign", CNN (video), YouTube, retrieved December 15, 2016
113. Williams, Katie Bo (December 15, 2016), "Graham: Tillerson must say Russia hacked US to earn his confirmation vote", The Hill, retrieved December 16, 2016
114. Harris, Shane (December 11, 2016), "Donald Trump Fuels Rift With CIA Over Russian Hack", The Wall Street Journal, retrieved December 12, 2016
115. Rachael Bade, Ryan stops short of call for Russia probe, Politico (December 12, 2016).
116. Steinhauer, Jennifer (December 12, 2016), "McConnell and Ryan Back Russia Inquiries, Raising Potential Clash With Trump", The New York Times, retrieved December 12, 2016
117. Ellen Nakashima; Adam Entous (December 10, 2016), "FBI and CIA give differing accounts to lawmakers on Russia's motives in 2016 hacks", The Washington Post, retrieved December 12, 2016
118. Jones, Susan (December 15, 2016). "Intelligence Agencies Refuse to Brief House Intelligence Committee on Russian Hacking". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved December 16, 2016. cf. Kelly, Erin (December 14, 2016). "Intelligence officials refuse to brief House panel on Russian hacking". USA Today. Retrieved December 16, 2016. cf. "Intelligence Community Statement on Review of Foreign Influence on U.S. Elections". Office of the Director of National Intelligence. December 14, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
119. ^ Sanger, David E. (December 9, 2016), "Obama Orders Intelligence Report on Russian Election Hacking", The New York Times, retrieved December 10, 2016
120. Elizabeth Weise; Gregory Korte (December 9, 2016), "Obama orders review of foreign attempts to hack U.S. election", USA Today, retrieved December 10, 2016
121. Josh Gerstein; Jennifer Scholtes; Eric Geller; Martin Matishak (December 9, 2016), "Obama orders 'deep dive' of election-related hacking", Politico, retrieved December 10, 2016
122. ^ Elise Labott, Official: Probe 'solely about lessons learned' on foreign hacking, CNN (December 10, 2016).
123. ^ Griffiths, Brent (December 12, 2016), "White House rails against Trump for not accepting evidence of Russia hacking", Politico, retrieved December 13, 2016
124. Fabian, Jordan (December 16, 2016), "Obama turns down temperature on Trump fight", The Hill, retrieved December 17, 2016
125. Greenberg, Andy. "US Hits Russia With Biggest Spying Retaliation "Since the Cold War"". Wired.
126. ^ "Obama Strikes Back at Russia for Election Hacking". The New York Times. December 29, 2016.
127. "U.S. imposes sanctions on Russia over election interference". CBS News. December 29, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
128. "US expels 35 Russian diplomats, closes two compounds: report". DW.COM. December 29, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
129. Mark Mazzetti & Michael S. Schmidt, Two Russian Compounds, Caught Up in History’s Echoes, New York Times (December 29, 2016).
130. Ian Duncan, Shut down Russian Eastern Shore retreat offers glimpse at spy battles, Baltimore Sun (December 30, 2016).
131. "Russia sanctions announced by White House". CNN. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
132. "Obama authorises US sanctions against Russia". December 29, 2016.
133. Associated Press (December 30, 2016). "U.S. shuts Russian compounds in Maryland, New York over hacking". CBS News. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
134. ^ Chozick, Amy (December 17, 2016), "Clinton Says 'Personal Beef' by Putin Led to Hacking Attacks", The New York Times, p. A12, retrieved December 17, 2016
135. ^ Abdullah, Halimah (December 16, 2016), "Hillary Clinton Singles Out Putin, Comey in Election Loss", NBC News, retrieved December 17, 2016
136. cf. Tau, Byron (September 14, 2016). "Colin Powell Blasts Donald Trump, Criticizes Hillary Clinton in Leaked Messages". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
137. ^ Kaczynski, Andrew (December 19, 2016), "Trump said in 2014 that Russian hacking was a 'big problem'", CNN, retrieved December 20, 2016
138. Pramuk, Jacob (September 26, 2016). "Trump: DNC hacker could have been 400 pounds and sitting in bed". CNBC. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
139. Fox-Brewster, Thomas (October 10, 2016). "Clinton Claims Putin's Hackers Are Punting For Trump". Forbes. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
140. Kessler, Glenn (December 13, 2016). "The pre-war intelligence on Iraq: Wrong or hyped by the Bush White House?". Washington Post. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
141. Flores, Reena (December 11, 2016). "Donald Trump weighs in on Russia hacking election, CIA intelligence". CBS News. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
142. "Trump praises 'very smart' Putin for not expelling US diplomats". The Guardian. December 30, 2016.
143. Uchill, Joe (December 15, 2016), "Assange: Some leaks may have been Russian", The Hill, retrieved December 15, 2016
144. ^ Mills, Curt (December 15, 2016), "Kremlin Denies Putin's Involvement in Election Hacking", U.S. News & World Report, retrieved December 16, 2016
145. Henry Meyer; Stepan Kravchenko (December 15, 2016), "Russia Rejects as 'Rubbish' Claims Putin Directed U.S. Hacking", Bloomberg News, retrieved December 16, 2016
146. Smith, Allan (December 16, 2016), "Russia responds to reports it hacked US election: Prove it", Business Insider, retrieved December 16, 2016
147. Cheney, Kyle (December 12, 2016). "Electors demand intelligence briefing before Electoral College vote". Politico.
148. ^ Pelosi, Christine. "Bipartisan Electors Ask James Clapper: Release Facts on Outside Interference in U.S. Election".
149. Pete Williams, Coming Soon: The 'Real' Presidential Election, NBC News (December 15, 2016).
150. • Gabriel Debenedetti & Kyle Cheney, Clinton campaign backs call for intelligence briefing before Electoral College vote, Politico (December 12, 2016).
     • Dan Merica, Clinton campaign backs intelligence briefing for Electoral College electors, CNN (December 13, 2016).
151. ^ Shane Harris, Donald Trump Fuels Rift With CIA Over Russian Hack, Wall Street Journal (December 11, 2016).
152. ^ Brian Ross, James Gordon Meek, Mike Levine & Justin Fishel, Trump Engages CIA in War of Words Over Russian Election Hacking, ABC News (December 12, 2016).
153. John Cassidy, Trump Isolates Himself With C.I.A. Attack, The New Yorker (December 12, 2016).
154. Ackerman, Spencer (December 11, 2016), "Intelligence figures fear Trump reprisals over assessment of Russia election role", The Guardian, retrieved December 11, 2016
155. "Morell calls Russia's meddling in U.S. elections 'political equivalent of 9/11'". Politico. December 13, 2016.
156. Michael V. Hayden, Trump is already antagonizing the intelligence community, and that’s a problem, Washington Post (December 12, 2016).
157. Rebecca Savransky, Former CIA spokesman: Trump's disrespect for intelligence community is 'shameful', The Hill (December 12, 2016).
158. ^ Nelson, Louis (December 14, 2016), "McMullin: GOP ignored Russian meddling in presidential election", Politico, retrieved December 15, 2016
159. ^ Michael McFaul, Let’s get the facts right on foreign involvement in our elections, Washington Post (December 10, 2016).
160. Robert S. McElvaine, Save America through a Compromise of 2016, Huffington Post (December 10, 2016).
161. ^ Steinberg, Joseph (December 12, 2016), "Russian Hacking: 8 Tough Questions the U.S. Government Is Not Answering", Inc., retrieved December 17, 2016

Further reading

• Andrew Weisburd; Clint Watts; JM Berger (November 6, 2016), "Trolling for Trump: How Russia is Trying to Destroy Our Democracy", War on the Rocks, retrieved December 6, 2016
• Strohm, Chris (December 1, 2016), "Russia Weaponized Social Media in U.S. Election, FireEye Says", Bloomberg News, retrieved December 1, 2016
• Demirjian, Karoun (December 8, 2016), "Republicans ready to launch wide-ranging probe of Russia, despite Trump's stance", Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, retrieved December 10, 2016
• Porter, Tom (December 1, 2016), "US House of representatives backs proposal to counter global Russian subversion", International Business Times UK edition, retrieved December 1, 2016

External links

• U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Director of National Intelligence (October 7, 2016), Joint Statement from the Department Of Homeland Security and Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Election Security, archived from the original on December 10, 2016, retrieved December 11, 2016
• John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Schumer, Jack Reed (December 11, 2016), McCain, Graham, Schumer, Reed Joint Statement on Reports That Russia Interfered with the 2016 Election, United States Senate Committee on Armed Services, retrieved December 11, 2016{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

• Donald Trump controversies
• Espionage in the United States
• Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation
• Foreign influence in national elections
• Information technology in Russia
• Internet in Russia
• Internet manipulation and propaganda
• Propaganda in Russia
• Russia–United States relations
• Russia intelligence operations
• United States presidential election, 2016