Putin Ordered "Influence Campaign" To Help Trump, U.S. Intelligence Report Says

NPR
January 6,2017
5:15 PM (ET)


The public version of the intelligence report on the investigation into Russia's interference in the U.S. elections concludes that Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin personally ordered the "influence campaign."

"Russia's goals were to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency," the report states.
"We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump."

Here are some of the report's key findings:

- Putin and the Russian Government "conspired to help President-elect Trump's election chances when possible by discrediting Secretary Clinton and publicly contrasting her unfavorably to him"

- The report states that Putin's motivation to discredit Clinton was at least partially personal.
It says he "publicly blamed her since 2011 for inciting mass protests against his regime in late 2011 and early 2012, and because he holds a grudge for comments he almost certainly saw as disparaging him."

- Russian intelligence "conducted cyber operations against targets associated with the 2016 US presidential election, including targets associated with both major US political parties."
This included primary campaigns, think tanks and lobbying groups.

- The report asserts with "high confidence" that Russia'a General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate "relayed material it acquired from the Democratic National Committee and senior Democratic officials to Wikileaks."

More:
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-wat/2017/01/06/508568241/putin-ordered-influence-campaign-to-help-trump-u-s-intelligence-report-says