PerspectiveGraham Says He's “1,000 Percent Confident” Russia, not Ukraine, Hacked DNC

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) on Tuesday said he’s “1,000 percent confident” Russia was responsible for hacking the Democratic National Committee (DNC) as part of an effort to interfere in the 2016 election. He dismissed the theory that Ukraine played a role in the breach.

Justin Wise writes in The Hill that President Trump and some of his GOP supporters in Congress have pushed a debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine tried to meddle in the 2016 election to help Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Wise writes:

“It was the Russians. I’m 1,000 percent confident that the hack of the DNC was by Russian operatives, no one else,” Graham told reporters on Capitol Hill. 

“I have no evidence [Ukraine] did. Russia stole the emails, not the Ukraine,” he added. 

Asked about whether Trump was muddying his defense by pushing the claim, Graham said he thinks it’s “always wrong to say things that can’t be proven.”

The conspiracy theory that Ukraine hacked the DNC has gained increased attention in recent months. Trump referenced the claim during a July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that is now at the heart of House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry. 

Wise adds:

Tom Bossert, a former homeland security adviser in the Trump administration, said in late September that the allegation linked to CrowdStrike was a “completely debunked” conspiracy theory. Fiona Hill, a former top Russia analyst for the White House, also testified last month that the idea that Ukraine interfered in the election is a “fictional narrative that has been perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves.” 

Intelligence officials have also reportedly briefed senators that Russia engaged in an effort to frame Kyiv for its election interference.