US intel officials claim Kremlin used disinformation, cyber attacks in 2016 to boost Trump candidacyKeep off US elections, Sanders warns Russia

WASHINGTON, February 22

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Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders warned Russia on Friday to stay out of the 2020 White House elections after US officials had told him Moscow was trying to aid his campaign.

“The intelligence community is telling us they are interfering in this campaign, right now, in 2020. And what I say to Putin, if elected president, trust me you are not going to be interfering in American elections,” Sanders told reporters in Bakersfield, California.

Sanders, 78, a democratic socialist US senator from Vermont, is considered the front-runner for the Democratic nomination and is favoured to win the Nevada caucuses on Saturday.

The Washington Post on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter, said the US officials had told Sanders about the Russian effort and had also informed Republican President Donald Trump and US lawmakers. It was not clear what form the Russian assistance took, the paper said.

A congressional source confirmed intelligence officials have told lawmakers Russia appears to be engaging in disinformation and propaganda campaigns to boost the 2020 campaigns of both Sanders and Trump. The source, however, cautioned that the findings are tentative. Sanders said he was briefed about a month ago. His campaign noted the briefing was classified.

“We were told that Russia, maybe other countries, are going to get involved in this campaign,” Sanders told reporters.

“Look, here is the message: To Russia, stay out of the American elections.” “What they are doing, by the way, the ugly thing that they are doing — and I’ve seen some of their tweets and stuff — is they try to divide us up,” he said. “They are trying to cause chaos. They’re trying to cause hatred in America.”

Kremlin on Friday denied Russia was interfering in the US presidential campaign to boost Trump’s re-election chances. “These are more paranoid announcements which, to our regret, will multiply as we get closer to the (US) election,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “They have nothing to do with the truth.” Former Vice-President Joe Biden told CNN on Friday: “I know Russia doesn’t want me to win. It’s really clear that Putin doesn’t want me to be the nominee, and Donald Trump doesn’t want me to be the nominee.”— Reuters