Michael Hayden, who led the CIA under former President George W. Bush, has had no reservations about speaking his mind on the topic of Russia. While Hayden wasn't willing to definitively say if he believes Donald Trump's presidential campaign colluded with Russia in the 2016 election, he did tell Politico's "Off Message" podcast that their agendas certainly saw a "convergence."
"There is an eerie and uncomfortable echo between some of the things the president tweets, the different points of emphasis on Fox News, the thematic stories in the alt-right media, and Russian bots," Hayden explained. "I don't have to create collusion here: Each for their own purposes are well-served by creating deeper divisions within American society. The president, to play to his base; Fox News, for ratings; the alt-right, because they have a conspiratorial view of everything; and the Russians, to mess with our heads."
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There is no doubt in Hayden's mind about Russia's intentions. "The overall objective of the Russian effort was to mess with our heads and erode confidence," he said. "And they decided by mid-summer that the very best way they could mess with our heads was to make more people vote for Donald Trump, period." Listen to the full interview here.
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