The issue of Russian hacking of American email accounts in order to influence the US presidential election reached new heights this week. President Barack Obama ordered the intelligence community to conduct a full review of Russia’s interference in the elections before he leaves office on Jan. 20, and Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham announced that they are launching a wide-ranging probe on the topic. On Dec. 13, the New York Times published a detailed article outlining what is known so far about Russia’s actions.
Clinton Watts, a Fox Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at The George Washington University, wrote the report “Trolling for Trump: How Russia Is Trying to Destroy Our Democracy,” together with Andrew Weisburd and J.M. Berger. Released on Nov. 6, the report outlines Russia’s motives and techniques for conducting “active measures,” or information warfare, in the United States in order to interfere with the political process here. He spoke with UkraineAlert about the issue and next steps for US leaders.
