Keith Girard
DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz was forced to resign after embarrassing emails were leaked. Now the FBI is investigating possible Russian involvement.
The FBI has formally begun an investigation into an embarrassing email leak that led to the resignation of Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Russian involvement is suspected; some are claiming it’s a bid to help Donald Trump.
The emails, released over the weekend by Wikileaks, confirmed allegations by Democratic primary contender Bernie Sanders.
The Vermont senator charged that the party tilted in favor of Hillary Clinton during the contentious Democratic primary election, as TheImproper has reported.
Whether Russia is involved in the cyber attack is still an open question. But some early evidence points to its involvement, according to investigators.
Russian cyber attacks have been detected against a wide range of political organizations and academic think tanks in Washington, CNN reported, quoting US officials briefed on the investigations.
Clinton reps clearly suggested Russia was behind the release. They charged it’s part of an effort to aid Republican nominee Donald Trump, who has openly expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump has also said he is willing to walk away from NATO countries attacked by Russia, if those countries haven’t fulfilled their financial obligations to the organization.
“I don’t think it’s coincidental that these emails were released on the eve of our convention here, and I think that’s disturbing,” Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook told CNN.
Mook said “changes to the Republican platform to make it more pro-Russian,” may have triggered the release of embarrassing emails.
Donald Trump Jr. denied that any involvement by his father’s campaign. “I can’t think of bigger lies, but that exactly goes to show you what the DNC and what the Clinton camp will do,” he told CNN.
The FBI confirmed today (July 25) that an investigation is underway.
It said in a statement:
“The FBI is investigating a cyber intrusion involving the DNC and are working to determine the nature and scope of the matter. A compromise of this nature is something we take very seriously, and the FBI will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who pose a threat in cyberspace.”
FBI says evidence collected early on points to groups known to work for the Russian intelligence organizations, officials briefed on the probe told CNN.
The intrusion into DNC email servers has been going on for more than a year, suggesting more possible leaks could be on the way.
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