The US Congress expressed concern over reports that the House’s Standing Intelligence Special Committee “has leaked classified information regarding the reliability of our presidential election.” This is stated in the letter of Congressman Mike Johnson, sent to the chairman of the committee Adam Schiff.

So, the document states, on February 20, the American newspaper The New York Times, citing five sources, reported that representatives of the American intelligence community warned members of the House of Representatives that Russia was allegedly interfering in the 2020 US presidential campaign to help incumbent United States President Donald Trump re-elected for a second term.

According to the publication, during a February 13 briefing, intelligence officials announced a "continuing Russian campaign" to interfere in the upcoming presidential elections and the primaries of the Democratic Party. The elements of this campaign were allegedly cyber attacks, the spread of misinformation through social networks, as well as “attacks on the electoral infrastructure”.

As Congressman Mike Johnson emphasizes in his letter, this information is secret, and therefore should not be published in the media. Such a regulation, the document says, is important for “preventing information about our priorities in countering foreign influence on our elections from reaching foreign opponents.”

In this regard, Johnson wondered whether any steps had been taken to investigate the sources of the leak regarding the secret meeting on Russian interference in the 2020 presidential election, and whether the intelligence committee was cooperating with the Justice Department or the FBI, “to which usually are being contacted when such classified information becomes public. ”

Meanwhile, Moscow has already denied reports of "Russian interference" in the course of the 2020 US elections. As the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov emphasized, such reports in the American media are "paranoid."

“(This. - RT ) is another paranoid message, which, unfortunately, will be more and more as we approach the election. Of course, they have nothing to do with the truth, ”said Peskov.

  • Dmitry Peskov
  • © Evgeny Biyatov / RIA News

The Russian Embassy in the United States of America has also expressed deep concern over regular accusations of alleged “interference” by the Russian Federation in the upcoming US elections in 2020.

“It is particularly striking how this myth is exploited by political forces in Washington to achieve its opportunist goals. Putting forward fictitious, unsubstantiated allegations against the “Russian theme” is becoming a bad American political tradition, ”the statement said.

"The Russian embassy called on American politicians to stop allegations against Moscow, stressing that the state’s position on this issue is" simple and understandable - Russia does not "interfere" in the internal processes of other countries. "

“The anti-Russian component in the inter-party struggle in the USA has already led to an unprecedented degradation of bilateral relations,” the diplomatic mission explained.

Intervention "in favor of Bernie Sanders"

Meanwhile, as noted by the congressman’s letter, serious concern about possible selective leaks of information carried out by the U.S. Congress Intelligence Committee or a source close to it is caused not only by The New York Times, but also by reports that Russian interference in the course of the primaries of the Democratic Party will be carried out "in favor of Bernie Sanders."

So, at the end of February, information began to circulate in the American media that, in addition to Donald Trump, Russia allegedly supported the election campaign of Democrat Bernie Sanders. Supporters of other representatives of the Democratic Party, Bloomberg, Biden and Buttigic, began to spread this statement on social networks with reference to reports from The New York Times and The Washington Post.

US President Donald Trump called these reports another "disinformation campaign." As Trump noted in his Twitter, this entire information campaign is connected with the efforts of the leadership of the Democratic Party to prevent Bernie Sanders from being elected.

“They want Sanders out of the campaign and hate Trump,” Trump added.

  • US Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders
  • Reuters
  • © Caitlin Ochs

As a political scientist, American analyst Malek Dudakov explained in a conversation with RT, it is obvious that Russia does not pose any threat to the United States, however, the dissemination of such messages is beneficial to a number of Democrats who speak both against Trump and against Sanders as candidates for the post of the next American president.

“A lot of representatives of the leadership of the Democratic Party can agree that Russia really helps Sanders to polarize American society, so as not to be vocalized for it. There will be such an appeal. It will be unofficial, because the whole party cannot openly speak out against one candidate, but nevertheless it will probably be in the form of transparent hints or comments of individual representatives of the establishment, ”the expert noted.

As the political scientist explained, not all members of the Democratic Party approve of Sanders' candidacy, and therefore seek an excuse in order to lower his position in the election race.

According to the American political scientist Dmitry Drobnitsky, statements about the so-called Russian interference in the course of the American election are more likely to be an information feed, rather than an information leak.

“Republicans are very annoyed by all these leaks, which you can't even name leaks, but, most likely, an informational stuffing. They will demand an investigation from the House Intelligence Committee. At the same time, on the other hand, hysteria will be intensified in every way connected with the fact that the Russians want to re-elect Trump. In the United States themselves, this entire scheme has long been calculated, it is not new at all, ”said the expert.

According to the expert, the use of information leaks for political purposes only leads to a weakening of confidence in government among the American electorate.

“All this, undoubtedly, weakens confidence in the bodies that ensure the national security of the country. These bodies themselves are to blame, but they plotted a conspiracy first against the candidates, then against President Trump. But in general, this story will still continue, ”the political scientist concluded.