Russia Interfering In 2020 Election To Get Trump Reelected, US Intelligence Says

Russia is actively interfering in the United States 2020 presidential election to make sure President Donald Trump gets a second term, United States intelligence officials told House lawmakers last week, according to the New York Times.

Russia Prefers Trump, Intelligence Says

The House of Representatives was briefed on the matter by intelligence officer Shelby Pierson, who shared the conclusions of various intelligence agencies on the matter with the lawmakers, the Times reported Thursday.

Russian government has "developed a preference" for Trump, Pierson, a close aide to former acting director of national intelligence Joseph Maguire, is said to have told the House members.

According to the Times, the Republican lawmakers didn't take a liking to the idea and asked Pierson to defend why would Russia want a president, who has "levied punishing sanctions" against them, getting reelected.

"I'd challenge anyone to give me a real-world argument where Putin would rather have President Trump and not Bernie Sanders," Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) told the Times after the briefing without discussing details.

Intelligence Would ‘Weaponize' Democrats, Trump Says

Maguire was replaced with Richard Grennell as the director of national intelligence, also in an acting role, by President Trump on Wednesday.

One person familiar with the matter told the Washington Post that the president angrily asked Maguire why he had to learn about the briefing from a Republican lawmaker and not from his own aides.

"There was a dressing down" of Maguire, another person told the Post, adding that the briefing was the "catalyst" that led to his removal from office.

Trump added that Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) would "weaponize" the briefing against him ahead of the elections, per the Times.

Schiff had led the Democratic efforts in President Trump's impeachment trial, where the latter was acquitted by a Republican-controlled Senate.