The FBI said Monday it is investigating the recent email hacks waged against the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
Wikileaks released 20,000 emails from the DNC Friday, just days before the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. The internal email communications of the DNC reveal a concerted effort by top party officials to undermine Sen. Bernie Sander’s insurgent campaign and ensure Hillary Clinton’s nomination.
The fallout continued as the chair of the DNC, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, announced her resignation and was removed from the speaker list at convention.
The Clinton campaign believes the hacks were committed by Russia in order to benefit Republican nominee Donald Trump. Robby Mook, Clinton’s campaign manager, told CNN Sunday that “experts are telling us that Russian state actors broke in to the DNC, took all these emails and now are leaking them out through these Web sites.” He continued, claiming that “some experts are now telling us that this was done by the Russians for the purpose of helping Donald Trump.”
The FBI released a statement Monday confirming reports it’s investigating the hack. “The FBI is investigating a cyber intrusion involving the DNC and are working to determine the nature and scope of the matter,” the agency said in a statement. “A compromise of this nature is something we take very seriously, and the FBI will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who pose a threat in cyberspace.”
In the spring, U.S. officials informed both political parties and presidential campaigns that “sophisticated hackers were attempting to penetrate their computers.” CrowdStrike, a company hired to investigate the breach on the DNC, said groups codenamed Fancy Bear and Cozy Bear were behind the infiltrations. CrowdStrike says the hackers are likely Russian, and they are believed to be working for Russia’s military and domestic security services.
Trump scoffed at the idea that Russian President Vladimir Putin was behind the hack, tweeting, “The new joke in town is that Russia leaked the disastrous DNC e-mails, which should never have been written (stupid), because Putin likes me.”
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