The Obama administration was first warned of Russia's threat to democracy in 2014

Barack Obama.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

A 2014 report warned the Obama administration that Russia was assembling a massive campaign to disrupt western democracies, potentially including the U.S., but intelligence officials were unable to get "sign-offs" from the administration to respond, Politico reports. "The truth is, nobody wanted to piss off the Russians," said one intelligence official.

The 2014 report quoted a Russian source who warned American officials, "You have no idea how extensive these networks are in Europe ... and in the U.S., Russia has penetrated media organizations, lobbying firms, political parties, governments, and militaries in all of these places."

"[The Obama administration was] warned," said one current administration official. "They underestimated it until it was too late. They just didn't know how to deal with the bad guys."

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Many intelligence officials had wanted to push back on Moscow, endorsing proposals to expel Russian diplomats, launch targeted counterintelligence campaigns, and close two Russian dachas suspected of being intelligence-gathering sites. National security agencies still hesitated: "Any of these actions risked a Russian reciprocation," said one former NSC official. "We were kind of caught in a catch-22." Read the full report at Politico.

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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.