He filmed documents from Putin's office. The story of a spy drawn by Washington from Russia

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US intelligence agents have withdrawn an American spy from Russia that has confirmed the direct role of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the 2016 presidential election campaign, CNN reported.

The network said that the spy, who transmitted information to US intelligence for decades, was able to reach Putin, and sent photos of critical documents obtained from the office of the Russian president himself.

CNN said the spy was withdrawn from Russia in 2017 amid fears that his presence could expose US President Donald Trump and his government, given their frequent mishandling of classified classified intelligence.

But the CIA denied the report, and CIA Director of Public Affairs Brittany Braml told CNN that "misleading speculation that the president's handling of the most sensitive intelligence in our country, which he can access every day, caused a withdrawal. Assumed; inaccurate. "

According to the New York Times, US intelligence offered to withdraw the spy in late 2016, but he refused to justify it for family reasons, raising fears that he had turned into a double agent, but a few months later changed his mind.

The spy, whose name was not identified, was an important source of information that allowed US intelligence agencies to conclude that Putin directly plotted Russia's intervention in favor of Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.

The spy, which was considered the most valuable in the capabilities of US intelligence in Russia, linked Putin directly to hacking the e-mail server of the National Democratic Party, which led to the publication of huge amounts of embarrassing messages.

The New York Times said the agent's removal deprived the CIA of any information about the Kremlin's domestic activities during the 2018 US midterm elections, as well as during preparations for the next presidential election in 2020.