It is now in black and white. FBI Director James Comey has now confirmed that the agency is in the process of investigating an organized effort on the part of Russian agencies to interfere with the 2016 US presidential election. This comes after previous allegations that President Donald Trump was supported by Russian agencies in the presidential campaign.
As per Comey:
I have been authorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI as part of our counter intelligence mission is investigating the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. That includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia’s efforts.
Meanwhile, these allegations if confirmed would mark a new low in US-Russia ties. Not that the bar is set very high in the first place. The two countries have been at odds with each other since the Soviet days and the cold war era. Many historians argue that it was US’s support to the groups fighting against the Soviet Union’s puppet government in Afghanistan, that among other things, forced the Soviet Union to over exert itself and catalyzed its eventual breakdown.
So yes, Russia does carry a legacy of rivalry handed down to it from the Soviet days. However, to interfere in the democratic election process of a country is still a huge breach. If proved, it could spark off retaliatory measures from the United States that have the potential to turn into something much more serious.
Many members of the Trump campaign do have confirmed ties with Russian entities. However, rumors that the Russians had actively helped the Trump campaign were regarded as mere hearsay — until now. FBI’s investigations have lent ample substance to the reports. We now await Russia’s response or the results of the US federal agency’s investigations.
