Kremlin: No Evidence of Russian Government Interference in US Elections

A few days after the Justice Department officially charged 13 Russian nationals and several Russian companies with interfering in the 2016 US presidential election, the spokesperson for the Russian President reiterated that Moscow did not interfere in this election. Dmitry Peskov's remarks on Monday, February 19, represent the first official comment from the Russian presidential office regarding the accusations made three days earlier by Robert Mueller, the special counsel for this case. The indictment stated that a wealthy Russian businessman with close ties to the government financed a broad scheme in which spies sent to the US created fake social media accounts that appeared to be established in the US to spread divisive messages. The US Justice Department confirmed the conclusions of its security agencies published in January 2017, stating that the aim of these actions was to undermine trust in democracy, damage Hillary Clinton's candidacy, and assist her rival, Donald Trump, in winning the election. However, Dmitry Peskov said at a press conference on Monday that 'the focus of this indictment is on Russian citizens, but the statement issued in Washington also includes accusations regarding the involvement of the Russian government, the Kremlin, and the state.' He added, 'There is no evidence of the Russian government's involvement in this matter. There is no evidence and there will not be. Russia did not interfere and is not accustomed to interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, and it is not doing so now.' Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied the Russian government's interference in the 2016 US presidential election, in which Republican candidate Donald Trump narrowly defeated Hillary Clinton. US security agencies announced at the end of their investigations in January 2017 that Vladimir Putin 'personally ordered an organized campaign to influence the 2016 elections.' Currently, in addition to the special counsel's investigation, three separate investigations by the US Congress are underway regarding Russian interference in the elections and the possibility of collusion between Donald Trump's campaign and Russia. The recent indictment, confirmed by a grand jury and released by Robert Mueller's office, states that Russian institutions began their interference in the electoral process in 2014. It is also stated that some of the defendants posed as Americans and communicated with individuals in Donald Trump's campaign; however, the contact of these individuals with the Russian defendants was 'unintentional.' Rod Rosenstein, the Deputy Attorney General of the US, told reporters after the indictment was released that there is no evidence to prove that Russian interference affected the election results. Donald Trump, who considers the criminal and congressional investigations into this matter and the increasing evidence of Russian interference to be insignificant, stated that this indictment and the remarks of the Deputy Attorney General confirm his position. Mr. Trump tweeted: 'Russia began its anti-American campaign in 2014 long before I announced my candidacy. The election results were not affected. The Trump campaign did not engage in wrongdoing or collusion.' Robert Mueller's office has previously indicted two others, including Paul Manafort, one of Donald Trump's campaign chairmen. These investigations have so far resulted in two guilty pleas, one of which is Michael Flynn, Trump's first National Security Advisor.