CIA, FBI, NSA agree Putin tried to 'help President-elect Trump's election chances'

Vladimir Putin.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National Security Agency on Friday released a declassified report about the 2016 Russian hacks of the Democratic National Committee and the emails of Hillary Clinton's campaign chair, John Podesta. The report concludes: "Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the U.S. presidential election. 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 added, "Putin and the Russian government aspired to help President-elect Trump's election chances when possible by discrediting Secretary Clinton and publicly contrasting her unfavorably to him." The report also cited the intentional use of "paid social media users or 'trolls'" to influence the election.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.