Asked on Face the Nation Sunday whether Moscow was going to interfere in the 2018 US midterm elections, Pompeo said the answer was yes, and that Russia has been doing so "for decades."
"I continue to be concerned, not only about the Russians, but about others' efforts as well," the US chief spook added. "We have many foes who want to undermine Western democracy," he stressed.
RT and Sputnik editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan offered an even more scathing response, noting that these 'decades of interference' claims were coming from the same people that said there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. "You can continue to believe in Russian interference in the American elections. And in five year's you'll find out that it didn't happen," she quipped.
Pompeo's claims also fired up social media, particularly in Russia, where memories of direct US meddling in Russia's elections in the 1990s are still fresh in many people's minds. The US never even attempted to hide their blatant interference back then, and Hollywood released a 'light-hearted comedy' picture on the subject in the early 2000s starring Jeff Goldblum called 'Spinning Boris'.
Russian social media viciously trolled Pompeo for all was worth:
Макаронник Мике прав. Начиная с 2000-го Россия внаглую вмешивалась в выборы Президента РФ, проводимые США ещё в 2004, 2008 и 2012 годах. Вот и сейчас собирается вмешаться в очередной раз. Стыдно! pic.twitter.com/3T4bNm1eql
— Sebastião Pereira 🔹 (@Capt_Pereira) 8 января 2018 г.
"Pasta Mike is right. Beginning in 2000, Russia insolently interfered in the elections of the president of the Russian Federation, conducted by the USA in 2004, 2008 and 2012. Now it's planning to meddle again. For shame!"
"ЦРУ: Россия «десятилетиями вмешивается» в выборы в США" Зато Америка никогда, никуда не вмешивается, она такая паинька! Нас за идиотов принимают что ли?
— Николай Голиков (@nikgolikov) 8 января 2018 г.
"CIA: 'Russia has meddled in US elections for decades.' But America has never meddled anytime or anywhere, and is a good little dear! Do they think we're idiots or what?"
Майк поскромничал. Ещё со времён Ивана Калиты мы вмешивались в Выборы в США. Что, тогда не было США? Это брехня придуманная кремлём. Инфа 100%
— ЭвоМоралес (@SkillsTrump) 8 января 2018 г.
"Mike is being modest. We've really been meddling in US elections since the time of Ivan Kalita. What? There was no US back then? This is a lie invented by the Kremlin. 100% fact."
у людей устраившие цветные революции в других странах хватает наглости вообще говорить об этом
— anadonam (@anadonam) 7 января 2018 г.
"That people who have organized color revolutions in other countries have the arrogance to talk about this subject at all…"
Какие же они жалкими стали,эти высокомерные прежде янки!Раньше,при том же Рейгане,я уж не говорю при Кеннеди..даже представить было невозможно,чтобы в США хоть кто-то жаловался на то,что кто-то может посягнуть на результаты выборов!А сейчас постоянно сопли жуют,,исключительные"!
— Александр П. (@Acuus9IkYwpYxT7) 8 января 2018 г.
"Just how pathetic these once-proud Yankees have become! Before, under Reagan, and I won't even mention Kennedy, it was impossible to even imagine that the US could complain that someone had tried to intrude on the results of their elections. Now this 'exceptional' nation just can't shup up about it!"
какие же мы неэффективные — "десятилетиями вмешиваемся", а отношения — всё хуже….
— Михаил (@mr1965mr) 7 января 2018 г.
"How ineffective we must be. We interfere and interfere 'for decades', but relations just get worse and worse…"
ЦРУ тратит деньги американских налогоплательщиков,причем немалые,имеет резидентуры по всему миру и полностью безпомощна в своей стране.Как так.
— 28sdavyd (@28sdavyd) 8 января 2018 г.
"So the CIA spends the money of American taxpayers, a lot of it, has resident agents across the globe, and is completely helpless in its own country. How can this be."
Получает на выборках Барака Обамы тоже вмешалась Россия
— Miro (@miro7at) 8 января 2018 г.
"That means we meddled in the elections of Barack Obama too then."
This isn't the first time Pompeo has used the word 'decades' to describe the so-called Russian threat. Last year, the CIA chief called Russian soft power instruments including media like RT and Sputnik "a decades-old challenge for America," and stressed that the US needs to "push back" and "defeat" this challenge.
