"Our intelligence community concluded, I think two or three weeks ago,… that Russia has been engaged in nefarious cyber activity in order to interfere with the American elections. That is activity that's not unprecedented for them, unfortunately. We've seen that type of attempted interference around the globe on behalf of the Russians," Schultz said.
However, he did not provide any details on the allegations.
Answering a question on whether the US was considering a response to Russia, Schultz noted that "the United States, when it comes to cyber activity, has the greatest defensive and offensive capabilities of any country out there."
In turn, Moscow has denied the allegations, saying that the Kremlin is ready to work with any elected US president.
Speaking at a session of the Valdai Discussion Club in late-October, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin called the claims on Russia’s alleged interference with the US election "hysteria."
"Does anyone seriously think that Russia can somehow influence the choice of the American people? Is America a banana republic or what? America is a great power," the president said.
All those allegations are part of a plan by the Democrats to ensure their victory at the presidential election, said Vladimir Vasiliev, a senior research fellow at the Institute for American and Canadian Studies.
"The situation in the US is highly-strung because in some states the results of the vote may be contested and, thus, the votes would be recounted. In order to secure the victory for the Democrats, a campaign was launched to accuse Russia of cyberattacks. This is how it may work. If Trump wins in some state, for example, Florida, it will be announced that Russia has interfered in the vote count procedure," Vasiliev told Radio Sputnik.
Moreover, the vote counting system in the US is decentralized. Each state counts the ballots, according to data from the electoral districts.
"The situation is decentralized. This is why it can be used to manipulate the results," Vasiliev added.
He also commented on Russia’s alleged attempts to interfere with elections "around the globe." This is about the same tactic, but applied to elections in Europe, according to the expert.
"Probably, Washington is concerned about the upcoming votes in France and Germany. Taking into account the results of the Brexit referendum, political elites wants to prevent the undesirable results. This is why they invent an imaginary threat, including for example, the 'Russian threat,'" Vasiliev concluded.
