Faster horses
Well-known member
https://www.yahoo.com/news/putin-himself-involved-us-election-hack-report-022916287.html
Putin is said never to have forgiven Clinton -- then secretary of state -- for publicly questioning the integrity of parliamentary elections in 2011 in Russia, and accused her of encouraging street protests.
The Clintons feature prominently in these past cases of US interference in Russian domestic politics. Under Bill Clinton’s watch, the United States actively supported Boris Yeltsin’s retention of power. Clinton’s commitment to Yeltsin did not waver during the 1990s, despite widespread Russian public antipathy towards his economic policies and serious doubts about his competence to serve as president.
The negative memories of the 1990s transition period have caused Putin’s allies to view US support for Yeltsin as an act of hostility towards Russia. As some of Putin’s allies sympathized with the authoritarian ambitions of the 1991 coup plotters, allegations that US officials handed over secure codes used by coup plotting Soviet generals to Yeltsin have engendered particular animosity. The Russian state media has also described the active involvement of US political consultants in Yeltsin’s come-from-behind presidential election triumph in 1996 as an egregious violation of Russia’s sovereignty.
Since the colored revolutions of the mid-2000s, Kremlin policymakers have embraced the view that US involvement in the electoral processes of Russia and other CIS countries is motivated by a pernicious desire to prevent Russia’s re-emergence as a great power. The 2011-12 Russian election protests consolidated this negative view of Washington’s intentions.
During the 2011-12 mass protests, Putin’s allies frequently accused the CIA of sabotaging Russia’s elections. Putin’s supporters also launched large-scale anti-Orange demonstrations in Moscow to protest against perceived US meddling in Russia’s elections. This suggests that Russian involvement in the US elections is largely a targeted revenge mission against Clinton for perceived past wrongs and not a full-fledged endorsement of Trump by Putin.
In the eyes of Kremlin policymakers, the ability to violate international law without consequence is a defining feature of a great power. By ironically employing the same double standards as the United States, Putin has been able to demonstrate to the Washington establishment that Russia will not roll over passively to US pressure.