Russia increases U.S. spying efforts following 2016 election meddling
Intelligence officials believe Russia has been emboldened by the results of their 2016 election meddling, stepping up its spying efforts against the U.S.
Current and former U.S. intelligence officials believe that Russia has been emboldened by the results of their 2016 election meddling, stepping up its spying efforts against the United States.
According to CNN, intelligence officials feel that the spying efforts are stepping up because Russia has not seen a significant pushback from either the Obama administration or the Trump administration.
“Russians have maintained an aggressive collection posture in the US, and their success in election meddling has not deterred them,” said a former senior intelligence official familiar with the Trump administration.
Steve Hall, retired CIA chief of operations, also suggested that Russia could be trying to get more information on the Trump administration, which is considered to be unpredictable: “Whenever there is a deterioration of relations between countries — the espionage and intelligence collection part becomes that much more important as they try to determine the plans and intentions of the adversarial government.”
The Russians are suspected of having 150 intelligence operatives in the United States, and they have reportedly replenished their ranks after 35 Russian diplomats suspected of espionage were expelled. The number is particularly concerning to intelligence officials because it is higher than in other countries.
There is also concern that these Russian operatives are specifically targeting people who have access to classified information. The intelligence community is concerned that, despite this worry, the State Department is continuing to issue visas for Russian officials who are suspected of being involved in espionage, though the State Department has insisted that the visa granting process is safe and has multiple checks.
This is not a new argument between intelligence and the State Department, though in light of Russia’s successful bid to interfere in the 2016 election, it is a concerning one.
