Putin has tried to interfere in the US elections in favor of Trump / Article / LSM.lv

US intelligence report: Putin has tried to interfere in US elections in favor of TrumpRihards Plūme00:00 / 03:31

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The US Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice conclude that Russia and Iran opposed the US election infrastructure last year, but failed to influence the outcome of the presidential election. Extensive Russian-Iranian campaigns against key infrastructure sectors were able to threaten the security of several networks, which provided some of the functions of the 2020 US presidential election. However, these campaigns have failed to affect the security of voter data, the ability to vote, the counting of votes and the timely transmission of election results.

Campaign against Biden

Similarly, entities associated with the governments of Russia, Iran, and China have “materially affected” the security of networks associated with U.S. political organizations, candidates, and campaigns. However, there is no evidence that any entity affiliated with a foreign government has prevented voting, changed votes or disrupted the ability to count votes or broadcast election results. It should be noted that the report did not address the impact of foreign government activity on public perception or voter behavior, nor did it address the impact of, for example, cybercriminals.

Along with the report of both ministries, other information has also been released in connection with last year’s elections. Namely, the secret In a 15-page report by the U.S. Director of National Intelligence Russian President Vladimir Putin has been confirmed, but a number of Russian state organizations have carried out influence operations to slander presidential candidate Joe Biden and the Democratic Party, supporting former President Donald Trump, undermining public confidence in the election process and exacerbating socio-political divisions in the United States.

Iran also tried

Similar information was heard after the US presidential election in 2016, when Russia turned against Democrat-nominated candidate Hillary Clinton and tried to promote Donald Trump’s victory. Unlike the 2016 elections, this time the US intelligence services have not noticed “Russia’s successive efforts to gain access to the election infrastructure”.

According to the report, the Russian leadership controlled Ukrainian politician and Russian intelligence agent Andrew Derkach, “who played a prominent role in Russia’s activities to influence the election.”

The report said Iran, Hezbollah and Cuba were also trying to influence the US elections. China, on the other hand, has not taken active steps in this direction, although some steps have been taken to prevent Trump’s re-election as US president.

New sanctions are expected against Russia

“I think that Russia’s efforts in recent years have definitely paid off. More specifically, Russia promoted a false message that the elections were falsified.

The Russians spread the news that Americans could not trust their electoral system. It was a very destructive message that would not be widely received by Americans unless Trump himself promoted the Kremlin’s message.

This made the situation even more devastating, ”said Adam Schiff, a Democrat from the US Parliament who chairs the Intelligence Committee in the House of Representatives.

“We must reach a situation where both parties agree to avoid and condemn any foreign interference. It must be agreed that if they are offered stolen e-mails that have been stolen from the other party as a result of cyber activities, they must not be accepted and must be reported to the FMO.

That is the only way to protect ourselves by reaching a consensus on this issue. It was very difficult to do it when Trump was in power, but I hope we can do it now, ”says Schiff.

According to CNN, the Baiden administration could announce sanctions against Russia for intervening in the elections as early as next week. These would not be the first sanctions imposed on Russia by the Baiden administration. The United States, as well as the European Union, has previously imposed sanctions on Russia for poisoning and imprisoning opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

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