Putin's Pick: Russian Leader Shocks the World with U.S. Election Endorsement
Russian President Vladimir Putin surprised everyone by lending his support to the Democratic Party's Presidential candidate Kamala Harris in the upcoming elections, the Independent reported. This was an unexpected move considering the friction between Russian authorities and Democrats in the past, as well as Harris' support for Ukraine as Vice President in the Biden administration.
The Russian president claimed that Joe Biden, the previous Democratic candidate was his choice, but now that he has dropped out his support has shifted to Harris, the Independent reported. "Our favorite, if you can call it that, was the current president, Mr. Biden," Putin said, TASS reported. "He was removed from the race, but he recommended that all his supporters support Ms. Harris. That’s what we’ll do too," he added.
Putin then went on to talk about what he likes about Harris, the Independent reported. He remarked, "She laughs so expressively and infectiously that it means that everything is fine with her." The President added that he hopes if Harris comes to power, she does not introduce further sanctions against Russia.
Putin concluded the discussion by stating that ultimately the decision lies with the American public and whatever call they take, Russia will respect it, the Independent reported. The US authorities criticized Putin's statement according to BBC and the US Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said: "Mr Putin ought to stop talking about our elections, period. He shouldn't be favoring anybody one way or another."
Sharing her opinions about the statement, Rebekah Koffler, a former DIA intelligence officer and author of "Putin’s Playbook," said "The Russians don’t really endorse anyone, in the traditional sense. When it comes to preference, Putin and his regime prefer Kamala to deal with as a future U.S. president. Putin believes that he can manipulate Harris easily, unlike Trump, whom the Russians profiled as unpredictable and difficult to read," according to Fox News.
Koffler added that such statements are attempts by Russia to mess with the Democrats, Fox News reported. "It’s a classic influence operation to unbalance your adversary by mocking, teasing, and pleasing them, or rather appearing to please," she stated. Putin's words have not been pleasantly received by the Democrats as there are rumors of the president helping Republican candidate Donald Trump in his campaign, as per the Independent. On September 4, U.S. authorities unsealed an indictment that alleged that Russia was trying to influence the outcome of the upcoming election.
Federal Prosecutors claim that Putin's government has directed Russian state media companies to distribute misinformation and propaganda to get a particular outcome, the Independent reported. Law enforcement agencies have reportedly seized 32 Russian-backed websites whose objective was to boost Trump's campaign for the presidency. Two individuals associated with the Russian state network RT have been charged with launching a $10m propaganda scheme that utilized American right-wing influencers.
On September 5, federal prosecutors indicted Trump’s 2016 campaign adviser and Russian expert, Dimitri Simes, claiming that he violated U.S. sanctions by working as a presenter at a Russian state TV station, the Independent reported.
This is not the first time Russia has been accused of interfering in U.S. presidential elections as intelligence reports in the past have claimed that Russian authorities invested resources to influence the 2016 election in favor of Donald Trump, according to Time Magazine's report.
During the event Putin also addressed the recent attack by Ukraine on Russian territory Kursk and said that the situation is now under control, NBC reported. When asked "Were they successful?" Putin said, "No. The enemy has failed."