Clinton campaign head testifies on Russia probe

WASHINGTON: Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairperson, John Podesta, yesterday appeared before the US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, which has begun interviewing witnesses in its probe of how Russia may have influenced the 2016 election.

Committee members declined to comment on the discussion to reporters as they left the panel’s secure hearing room. Podesta stopped and commented briefly.

“They asked me to come forward to give to the best of my knowledge what I knew about that, and I was happy to co-operate with the committee in their investigation of Russian interference with the democratic process in the United States,” he said.

Republican President Donald Trump recently accused former Democratic President Barack Obama of doing too little to address Russian cyber attacks while he was still in the White House.

On Monday, Trump demanded on Twitter that investigators apologise for looking to Russian interference and possible collusion with his campaign. He accused Obama of having “colluded or obstructed,” without providing evidence.

During the 2016 campaign, hackers penetrated the Democratic National Committee’s e-mail server and stole e-mails from Podesta’s personal account. The e-mails were then posted online and used to embarrass Clinton, including by Trump, who used their content as political ammunition.

US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia was behind the hacking and that it was seeking to boost Trump’s chances of winning.

Russia has denied trying to influence the election. – Reuters