Published 02:59 IST, August 19th 2020
US Senate Intelligence Committee confirms Russian interference in 2016 elections
US Senate intelligence committee has stated that the Kremlin indeed meddled in the 2016 presidential election wherein Donald Trump beat Hilary Clinton to the WH
US Senate intelligence committee has stated that the Kremlin indeed meddled in the 2016 presidential election wherein Donald Trump beat Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton in the race to the White House.
According to reports, the Senate panel found in its fifth and final report that Russia launched aggressive efforts on behalf of Trump to ensure his victory in the last US presidential election.
Republican-led Senate panel confirms Russian interference
As per reports, the US Senate panel’s report on Russian interference is at least 1,300 pages and gives a "comprehensive description to date of Russia’s activities". The bipartisan investigation took three and a half years to reach a conclusion, almost entirety encompassing Trump’s first term as President of the United States.
The report’s conclusion has been left open-ended and does not give a definitive indication as to whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia but confirms Kremlin's role in the 2016 election.
As per reports, Republicans in the panel submitted additional views and demanded that the report must explicitly state that the Trump campaign did not collude with Russia but Democrats in the panel claimed that the report clearly indicated collusion.
Earlier, former special counsel Robert Mueller in his report on the Russian interference in the 2016 US election had also substantiated Kremlin's role. However, while Muller’s report failed to charge Trump’s campaign associates, the report highlighted that Trump knew about Russian interference and embraced Russia’s help.
The Senate report comes at a crucial time with the next US Presidential election just months away. Donald Trump is looking to get re-elected for a second term and this time he is going up against presumptive Democratic candidate Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris.
(Input credit AP)
Updated 02:59 IST, August 19th 2020