The Kremlin on Friday denied interfering in the U.S. electoral process to help reelect President Trump, dismissing recent allegations about its involvement as rooted in paranoia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov pushed back after it was reported that the U.S. intelligence community believes Moscow is meddling in the 2020 race.
“This is another in a series of paranoid reports, and we regret to say that their number will grow as the election approaches. They certainly have nothing to do with the truth,” Mr. Peskov told reporters, Russian state-run media reported.
The New York Times first reported Thursday that U.S. intelligence officials told members of the House of Representatives last week that Russia was is interfering in the 2020 presidential campaign with the goal of getting Mr. Trump reelected.
Mr. Trump weighed in on Twitter later Friday to claim that allegations of Russia wanting him to win the 2020 race is “misinformation” perpetrated by Democrats in Congress.
The U.S. intelligence community has previously assessed that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential race won by Mr. Trump, whose administration has repeatedly warned recently that November’s elections risk being targeted by foreign adversaries.
“This is not a Russia-only problem,” Shelby Pierson, the election security threats executive for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, said last month. “Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, non-state hacktivists all have opportunity, means and potentially motive to come after the United States in the 2020 election to accomplish their goals.”
Russia has previously denied interfering in the 2016 race.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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