US accuses Russia of trying to interfere with 2016 election

US accuses Russia of trying 

to interfere with 2016 election

Obama administration said Friday it 

was "confident" that Russia was 

behind recent hackings of emails about 

upcoming US elections in an attempt 

to interfere with the process.

The announcement marks the first time 

the US administration has officially 

accused Russia of hacking into US 

political systems. Earlier in the week, 

the two countries broke off formal 

talks about a ceasefire in Syria.

"We believe, based on the scope 

and sensitivity of these efforts, that 

only Russia's senior-most officials 

could have authorized these activities,

" the Department of Homeland Security 

and Office of the Director of National 

Intelligence said in a joint statement.

"The recent disclosures of alleged 

hacked emails on sites like 

DCLeaks.com and WikiLeaks and 

by the Guccifer 2.0 online persona are 

consistent with the methods and 

motivations of Russian-directed efforts,

" the statement added. "These thefts and 

disclosures are intended to interfere 

with the US election process. Such activity 

is not new to Moscow -- the Russians 

have used similar tactics and techniques 

across Europe and Eurasia, for 

example, to influence public opinion there."

The announcement was referring to 

the breach of Democratic National 

Committee emails and the sites of 

other Democratic Party-linked 

organizations disclosed over the summer.

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