Although everyone thought that the controversy in the 2016 U.S. presidential election is going to end once the candidate was elected, things escalated to a whole new level after Donald Trump was chosen as the winner, since rumors regarding Kremlin´s involvement in the DNC hack were starting to rise. Now, the U.S. intelligence agencies published a 25-page report explaining d several points regarding the Russian hacking, and the situation suggests that this will be the subject that is going to frame the first year of Trump´s administration.
Given the importance of this issue, here are three important things you need to know about the Russian hacking.
Vladimir Putin Ordered The Hacks
As the U.S. intelligence agencies reported, probably the most important detail about the Russian hacking was that Putin had a clear preference for Donald Trump since he was a candidate whose unpredictability could fit on Kremlin´s interest, and because of the fact that the Republican has shown admiration for the former KGB-agent.
Of course, combining this situation with the problematic relationship between the U.S. and Russia, Putin saw Donald Trump as someone who would fit his interest in weakening the European Union, in order to create a geopolitical change in which his regime could increase its power and influence.
However, even when everyone believed that this was the main motivation behind the Russian hacking, Putin also ordered the hacks as retaliation against the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, because of the massive protests against his regime that took place in late 2011 and early 2012. Also, another important objective was to undermine the public faith in the democratic process, since this could be a powerful weapon to harm the American system.
The Russian Military Intelligence Provided The DNC Files To WikiLeaks
This is probably the most controversial point in the report, given the fact that WikiLeaks credibility is something that many people seen as out of question, and that its leader Julian Assange has constantly denied that his sources were Russians. However, the FBI, NSA, and the CIA agrees tha the Russian Military Intelligence (GRU) were the group that provided the DNC stolen files to WikiLeaks.
In fact, the report suggests that Putin´s regime chose WikiLeaks as the perfect organization to release the stolen files, precisely of its famous reputation. However, as it was reported in a previous article, this Kremlin´s choice could be considered as something predictable, given the fact that WikiLeaks and Russian government has always show good relations between each other, since the Julian Assange´s group has always published classified documents from the U.S. and its allies, but never from Moscow.
Naturally, WikiLeaks played a huge role in the Russian hacking according to the report, but there´s no physical evidences that prove these suggestions. Nevertheless, there are many reasons to believe this is actually true, considering how beneficial it was for Russia WikiLeaks actions.
RT Also Played A Major Role In The Russian Hacking
As everyone knows, RT is a Russia state-founded network that always runs pro Kremling propaganda, so it´s main role in the Russian hacking according to the report was to influence the campaign by endorsing Donald Trump and giving its main focus to the classified information that WikiLeaks published about the Democratic party and Hillary Clinton.
In fact, RT coverage of the Democratic candidate was extremely negative and aggressive against her, to the point in which the network spent a huge amount of hours in criticizing almost everthing related to her political career, including her physical and mental health. Actually, the media got to the point of assuring that if she won the elections, there would be a war between the U.S. and Russia. As reported by the intelligence agencies, the Russian hacking has been a case in which a lot of parties were involved, and the proper responses will be taken.
