Russia is showing no signs of curtailing its interference in the US’ politics and the Trump White House is debating how, and whether, to respond, according to the Washington Post. Senior members of the Trump administration are pushing to finalize plans for responses to Russia’s disinformation campaigns but are running into resistance from other administration officials who remain skeptical and believe the Russia story has been weaponized by Democrats in an effort to delegitimize Trump.
The President’s point of view complicates the matter the further. According to White House aides, the President regards the mention of Russian Meddling as an attack on his legitimacy. President Trump and Vladimir Putin have spoken more than once over the last few weeks, with Putin complementing Trump on his handling of the US economy as well as for the CIA helping the Russian government thwart a terrorist attack in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Discord among senior administration officials also marked the Obama administration’s response to perceived Russian meddling in the US’ affairs.