The Russian Plot: How Putin and Trump Colluded

The Russian Plot: How Putin and Trump Colluded
By Ryan Goodman On 2/17/17 at 7:10 AM

According to the intelligence community, Putin’s cyber operation during the presidential election served two ambitions: (1) to undercut Hillary Clinton’s prospect of winning; and (2) to sow doubt about the election process as a whole.

The first ambition rose and fell according to the belief that Trump’s chance of winning was within the realm of possibility. Russia may have largely given up on that ambition, according to the intelligence report, when it looked like Clinton’s victory was more certain.

The intelligence community concluded: “When it appeared to Moscow that Secretary Clinton was likely to win the election, the Russian influence campaign then focused on undermining her expected presidency.”

Here’s what should not be missed: Trump would directly benefit from the first effort, but he also aligned himself, to a significant degree, with the second effort as well. More specifically, Putin’s second ambition was fully consistent with Trump repeatedly calling the election “rigged,” and refusing to state that he would accept the election results if Clinton won.

http://www.newsweek.com/russian-plot-how-putin-and-trump-colluded-557575?piano_t=1