There is no question that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, James Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday — and they’ll do it again.
The cyberattacks are being directed straight from the top, Comey said, with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the helm.
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“The Russians interfered in our election during the 2016 cycle. They did with purpose. They did it with sophistication. They did it with overwhelming technical efforts,” said Comey.
“It was an active measures campaign driven from the top of that government. There is no fuzz on that.”
The former FBI director’s eagerly anticipated testimony to the committee comes a month after he was fired by U.S. President Donald Trump. The committee is investigating Russia’s role in the 2016 election, including any possible collusion between Russia and Trump’s team.
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Amid Comey’s testimony that Trump and his team lied about the reasons for his firing and the revelation that Comey himself was behind bombshell memo leaks, he remained steadfast in his insistence that Russia remains a threat to the U.S.
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Comey shot down speculation the Russian meddling investigation has been a “fake news” smear campaign against Trump, calling the situation about as “unfake as you can possibly get.” Comey said it was refreshing to see a bipartisan effort to investigate the hostile actions on behalf of the Russian government, considering the potential consequences to the country.
“This is about America, not about a particular party,” said Comey.
During his time with the FBI, Comey saw Russia waging “all kinds of cyber intrusions, going on all the time.” The attacks cast a much wider net than just the 2016 election and major political parties, targeting upwards of a thousand entities.
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He observed “a massive effort to target government and non-governmental, near governmental agencies like non-profits,” dating back to late 2015, Comey said.
But what he saw from Russia during the 2016 election took things to a whole new level, Comey testified.
“It is a long-term practice of theirs,” said Comey. “It stepped up a notch in a significant way in 2016. They’ll be back.”
And while the Russians favoured the Republican efforts in 2016, don’t count on them not flipping their leanings next time around, said Comey.
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“It is not a Republican thing or a Democratic thing, it really is an American thing,” said Comey. “They’re going to come for whatever party they choose to try and work on behalf of, and they’re not devoted to either, in my experience. They’re just about their own advantage. They will be back.”
However, Comey said he is confident that no vote was miscast or altered in the 2016 election due to the Russian meddling.
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