After that of 2016, Russia reportedly tried to interfere in the US presidential election of November 2020, which saw Joe Biden take over from Donald Trump. A US intelligence report shows that President Vladimir Putin is said to have led efforts to try to reverse the outcome of this election.
Published Tuesday, March 16 by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, this 15-page report confirms accusations that certain relatives of Donald Trump have amplified accusations made by Ukrainian personalities linked to Moscow against Joe Biden, ahead of the election of November. It also includes new elements tending to demonstrate that Vladimir Putin supervised or, at the very least, ordered interference in the US presidential election for the benefit of Donald Trump.
More specifically, according to the document, Ukrainian figures supported by Moscow – such as parliamentarian Andrei Derkach – recruited political figures in the United States to “Dirty” the image of Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, targets of repeated accusations of corruption by Donald Trump.
Traces of other attempts at foreign interference
“Other senior officials were also involved in Russia’s electoral interference efforts – including security and intelligence officials who, in our assessment, would not have acted without at least the tacit endorsement of Putin “, outlines the report.
U.S. intelligence reports also found evidence of other foreign attempts to shift the American vote last year, including a campaign “Secret influence at several levels” led by Iran to reduce support for Donald Trump.
Moreover, the document belies the alternative account proposed by allies of Donald Trump according to which China interfered in the November ballot for the benefit of Joe Biden. “China has sought stability in its relationship with the United States and has seen neither of the two possible election outcomes represent a sufficient advantage for China to risk a backfire if caught in the act.”, is it written.
Likely additional US sanctions
A representative of the Biden administration said the US president had “Clearly” has indicated in the past that Washington may take action in the face of Moscow-led destabilization attempts, noting US moves to respond to Russia’s alleged use of a chemical weapon against opponent Alexei Navalny. “There will be more soon”, added this representative, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
While Vladimir Putin met Joe Biden in late January, Russia said on Wednesday it was taking all necessary steps to prepare for further U.S. sanctions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the report was “Incorrect, completely unfounded and without evidence”. “Russia did not interfere in the previous elections [en 2016, ni] in the 2020 elections ”, he added, believing that this report was only a pretext to put sanctions against Russia back on the agenda.
In an interview, broadcast on Tuesday by the American channel ABC, Joe Biden was asked if he believed that Vladimir Putin was ” a killer “, to which the President of the United States replied: ” Yes I think so. “ And, regarding the US report showing Russian interference in the 2020 presidential election, he claimed that Putin “Would pay the consequences”.
In the past, US intelligence agencies and former Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller had concluded that Russia also interfered in the 2016 presidential election in order to support Donald Trump’s candidacy, by waging a propaganda campaign aimed at harming her rival Hillary Clinton.
