Trump Admits Approving 2018 Russia Comment Army Cyberattack

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunjin Jung] U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged approving cyberattacks against the Russian troll farm that interfered in the 2018 U.S. elections, the Washington Post (WP) reported on the 11th (local time).

In an interview with WP columnist Mark Thissen, Trump reportedly admitted "yes" when asked if he had ordered cyberattacks against the Russian troll farm known as the "Internet Research Agency (IRA)." He added that based on information related to Russia's election interference at the time, he took action with cyberattacks and thereby "stopped" the interference.

This statement by President Trump is the first official acknowledgment of WP's 2018 report on the Russian troll farm. At that time, WP reported that the IRA interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the 2018 midterm elections, and that President Trump approved cyberattacks to stop it. Thissen said that until now, neither the White House nor the Department of Defense had confirmed this fact, and that Trump was the first to acknowledge it.

President Trump claimed that before the 2016 election, then-President Barack Obama knew that Russia was interfering in the election but did not say anything because he thought the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton would win. He also said that although additional sanctions have been imposed on Russia, he has a "really good relationship" with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

President Trump also boasted about his success in pressuring NATO countries to increase defense spending, saying, "What is NATO's purpose? Russia." He said that thanks to his efforts, eight NATO allies are now fulfilling their promise to spend 2% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defense, but he argued that 2% is still too little.

President Trump also claimed that although China's cyber operations against the U.S. surpass Russia's, the China issue received relatively less attention because, before he took office, Democrats and his supporters had raised a lot of money from China.