Former FBI agent says Russia held back in 2016 election interference

Peter Strzok hasn't been an employee of the FBI since 2018 when he was fired for sending text messages critical of President Trump during the bureau's investigation into 2016 Russian election interference, but he remains concerned about Moscow's ability to influence the upcoming presidential contest, Politico reports.

Strzok, who has a new book about the Crossfire Hurricane investigation coming out next week, told Politico that classified intelligence he saw in 2016 suggested Russia did not leave it all on the table in 2016, and he subsequently suspects the Kremlin hasn't been resting on its laurels since then. "We knew there was information and techniques and means of attacks that they could have used that they chose not to, or for whatever reason didn't do, in 2016," Strzok said. "So not only did they hold back, but they then had several years to refine those techniques and gather more information that I think they can use both in the runup, during, and after the election, to throw into doubt any number of things."

It remains to be seen if, how, or to what extent Russia will affect the November election, but U.S. intelligence has expressed concern that Moscow and other governments, including China and Iran, are attempting to sway the vote in some capacity. Read more at Politico.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up