Focus on Russia, not the emails

Let’s focus on what all Americans should be most concerned about: the hack of the Clinton campaign emails may be the latest installment of Vladimir Putin’s efforts to interfere with our election. Russia’s goal is to distract from Donald Trump’s problems, cast doubt on the legitimacy of our election process, and influence the election in Trump’s favor. There is no other example in our history of a foreign power intervening this way in our electoral process.

U. S. intelligence officials have confirmed that emails hacked from the Democratic National Committee are the work of Russian intelligence, with the approval of Russia’s senior- most leaders. Yet, in the face of a definitive statement on Russia’s role in the hacks, Mr. Trump refuses to acknowledge Russian responsibility — saying during Sunday’s debate that “they always blame Russia” and “maybe there is no hacking.”

Mr. Trump knows better — he was explicitly presented with evidence of Russian hacking in the intelligence briefings he has received — yet he persists in giving Russia a pass. Why? That’s what Americans should be asking themselves.

Russia is not motivated by what’s in America’s interest. Russia is motivated by what is in Vladimir Putin’s interest.

Mr. Trump has a bizarre and persistent fascination with Putin, and has put forward a proRussia policy agenda — from threatening to abandon our allies, to pledging to look at lifting sanctions on Russia, despite Russia’s annexation of Crimea and ongoing aggression in Ukraine. And he has encouraged Russia’s role in Syria, where instead of targeting the Islamic State, it has killed more than 1,000 civilians, many of them women and children.

As a former special operator, CIA officer and senior national security official who has served under six presidents, I know what is at stake when we choose a commander in chief. And I know that a man who would place Russian interests over ours is a danger to the republic.

We need a president who will defend us against attack, not one who makes common cause with our attackers.

Michael Vickers, a former Green Beret and CIA operations officer, was undersecretary of Defense for intelligence. He has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.