A year ago, not even the most dedicated hackers in Russia's troll army could have predicted their country would play this big a role in the U.S. election. But then Donald Trump came along - and Russia suddenly began playing center stage in the campaign.
Much of the Russia talk has come from the GOP presidential nominee’s own boasts about his relationship with President Vladimir Putin – though sometimes Trump tries to walk those back, claiming to barely know him. But it hasn’t stopped there: Trump casually urged Russian hackers to strike against his Democratic rival, hired top campaign staffers with apparent political and financial ties to Russia and its allies, and told CNBC this month that Trump “will be friendly” with Putin if elected.
