Russian interference in the 2016 United

States elections

The Russian government interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election with the goals of harming
the campaign of Hillary Clinton, boosting the candidacy of Donald Trump, and increasing political
and social discord in the United States. According to U.S. intelligence agencies, the operation—code
[1] [2]
named Project Lakhta —was ordered directly by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Special
Counsel's report, made public in April 2019, examined numerous contacts between the Trump
campaign and Russian officials but concluded that there was insufficient evidence to bring any
conspiracy or coordination charges against Trump or his associates.
The Internet Research Agency (IRA), based in Saint Petersburg, Russia and described as a troll
farm, created thousands of social media accounts that purported to be Americans supporting radical
political groups and planned or promoted events in support of Trump and against Clinton. They
reached millions of social media users between 2013 and 2017. Fabricated articles and
disinformation were spread from Russian government-controlled media, and promoted on social
media. Additionally, computer hackers affiliated with the Russian military intelligence service (GRU)
infiltrated information systems of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the Democratic
Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), and Clinton campaign officials, notably chairman
John Podesta, and publicly released stolen files and emails through DCLeaks, Guccifer 2.0 and
WikiLeaks during the election campaign. Several individuals connected to Russia contacted various
Trump campaign associates, offering business opportunities to the Trump Organization and
proffering damaging information on Clinton. Russian government officials have denied involvement
in any of the hacks or leaks.
Russian interference activities triggered strong statements from United States intelligence agencies,
a direct warning by then-U.S. President Barack Obama to Russian President Vladimir Putin,
renewed economic sanctions against Russia, and closures of Russian diplomatic facilities and
expulsion of their staff. The Senate and House Intelligence Committees conducted their own
investigations into the matter. Trump denied the interference had occurred, contending that it was a
"hoax" perpetrated by the Democratic Party to explain Clinton's loss.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) opened the Crossfire Hurricane investigation of Russian
interference in July 2016, including a special focus on links between Trump associates and Russian
officials and suspected coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
Russian attempts to interfere in the election were first disclosed publicly by members of the United
States Congress in September 2016, confirmed by US intelligence agencies in October 2016, and
further detailed by the Director of National Intelligence office in January 2017. The dismissal of
James Comey, the FBI director, in May 2017, was partly because of Comey's investigation of the
Russian interference.
The FBI's work was taken over in May 2017 by former FBI director Robert Mueller, who led a Special
[3]
Counsel investigation until March 2019. Mueller concluded that Russian interference was
"sweeping and systematic" and "violated U.S. criminal law", and he indicted twenty-six Russian
citizens and three Russian organizations. The investigation also led to indictments and convictions of
Trump campaign officials and associated Americans, on unrelated charges. The Special Counsel's
report, made public in April 2019, examined numerous contacts between the Trump campaign and
Russian officials but concluded that, though the Trump campaign welcomed the Russian activities
and expected to benefit from them, there was insufficient evidence to bring any conspiracy or
coordination charges against Trump or his associates.