In late July 2016, about the time of the opening of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), the WikiLeaks website publicized embarrassing emails from the accounts of senior party staffers. The hackers gained full access to the DNC network used by the election staff, including emails, memos, and research performed for Democrats running for Congress. The widespread belief was that the hackers were Russian-based, and the operating assumption of US law enforcement agencies was that Russian hackers had broken into the computer network serving the DNC as part of a cyberattack aimed at Democratic Party institutions. In an interview with Fox News, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton accused Russia’s espionage services of the break-in and the leaking of the emails. She noted that there were reliable reports pointing to Russian involvement that intended to disrupt the electoral process. The National Security Unit within the US Department of Justice is investigating the extent to which these cyberattacks indicate significant Russian involvement in the US presidential race.
