Putin Denies DNC Hack

Russian President Vladimir Putin sat down with Bloomberg reporter John Micklethwait on September 8, 2016.

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, President Vladimir Putin denied any Russian involvement in the hacking of private emails of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The emails, which were released by WikiLeaks on July 22, appear to show key DNC members plotting against former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. The hack prompted a wave of resignations from the DNC in the days surrounding the Democratic Convention in late July, including that of DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

During the interview, Putin brushed off the accusations by the American intelligence community that his government was responsible for the email theft by referring to the number of hackers that exist in the world.

“You know how many hackers there are today? And they act so delicately and precisely… as if they are other hackers from other countries or territories,” he said, suggesting that his regime had been framed.

An unknown hacker going by the name of “Guccifer 2.0” has claimed responsibility for the attack, though a number of cybersecurity firms and the FBI believe this to be an imagined pseudonym created by Russian agents. Putin, however, stated that he believed that the true identity of the culprit was unimportant.

“The important thing is the content that was given to the public,” he said.

Despite the fact that the emails provoked a swell of anti-Clinton protests by Bernie fans outside the Democratic National Convention, Putin said he could not imagine that the revelations in the emails would ever be of interest to the general public. He then repeated his affirmation that he knew nothing about the whole affair.

However, Vladimir Putin could benefit from making Clinton look like a corrupt establishment candidate. The two leaders have had an uneasy relationship since Putin blamed Clinton for inciting unrest in Russia during 2011 anti-Putin protests following reports of Russian election fraud. The Russian president claimed that Clinton “set the tone for some actors in our country and gave them a signal.”

While a Clinton presidency would undoubtedly mean a tough stance on Russia, Trump’s ascendance to office would stand to benefit Russian interests. The Republican nominee for president has repeatedly expressed his respect for the Russian leader by calling him “a strong leader” and even tweeting in 2013 that he hoped they could be “best friends.” Furthermore, Trump’s plans for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would open the door to Putin’s expansionist ambitions in Eastern Europe. Trump has also vowed to roll back America’s commitments to the alliance system, which is vital to the protection of Russia’s neighbors, the small Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Trump’s association with Russia does not end there: his former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, has numerous links to Kremlin-backed figures in Ukrainian politics, including the former president Viktor Yanukovych.  

In previous election cycles, the idea that Vladimir Putin could meddle in the presidential race to favor one candidate would have been considered impossible. This episode just serves to remind us that 2016 is not a typical election cycle. US-Russia relations are at an all time low; directing further accusations toward the Russian government for hacking into the DNC will only exacerbate the tensions between the two powers.