Senior Democrat Accuses Russia of Hacks on US Election Systems

Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the intelligence committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, said Sunday that Russia was behind recent cyber attacks aimed at altering upcoming US presidential elections.

"I have no doubt [this is Russia]. And I don't think the administration has any doubt," he said during an appearance on ABC's "This Week."

Schiff called Obama to publicly blame Moscow for attempting to undermine the trust in the November 8 election. His claims come amid allegations from Republican candidate Donald Trump that the election could be "rigged" and concerns about the security of voting machines and databases.

Donald Trump, however, questioned the role of Russia in the attempts, saying in the first national debate between the two candidates that "It could be Russia, but it could also be China. It also could be somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds."

US media and politicians keep accusing Russia of hacking state files without providing any proof.

Russian officials have reportedly rejected their involvement in the American digital security breach. The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the accusations "so absurd it borders on total stupidity." He called those baseless charges the "American style" when blame is cast first and investigations are held afterwards. "We in Russia are used to investigating first, before accusing anyone of anything. We believe it is more logical and more correct," he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that blaming Moscow is an electioneering trick which distracts the public from the content of the leaked materials.
Peskov emphasized, "Russia does not interfere, and never will interfere, in the internal affairs — especially the elections — of any other countries, including the US."