United States Sanctions Russian Individuals and Entities After Accusing Russian Government of Interfering with U.S. Election Process; Congressional Committees and Intelligence and Law Enforcement Agencies Continue to Investigate President Trump's Connections to Russian Officials

Abstract

On October 7, 2016, following months of tense interactions between the United States and Russia regarding hacks of high-profile U.S. political organizations, the Department of Homeland Security and Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) issued a joint statement formally accusing Russia of using cyberattacks to influence the U.S. election process. Reports suggest that Russia intended to use the hacks and subsequent information dump to help then-candidate Donald Trump win the presidential election. In response to the cyberattacks, the United States took steps against several Russian individuals and entities. The Obama administration also initiated an extensive review of Russian involvement in the election, which eventually reaffirmed key intelligence conclusions regarding the scope of Russian interference. Several congressional committees have also initiated investigations, all of which are still ongoing as of the date of publication.