Vladimir Putin recently weighed in on a number of topics, including the state of the US Presidential Election. Bloomberg Editor-in-chief John Micklethwait first asked the Russian president if his government was responsible for the DNC hacks. Putin flatly denied having any involvement. He even insinuated that the hacks were a frame job. Russia’s leader believes that the hackers performed them in such a way as to implicate Russia as the culprit:
“No, I don’t know anything about that. You know how many hackers there are today. And they act so delicately and precisely that they can leave their mark at the necessary time and place. Or even not their own mark, camouflaging their activities as if they were hackers from other territories or countries.”
Putin was very emphatic that Russia does not engage in such hacking activities “at the state level.”
Putin Says It Doesn’t Matter Who Did It
It seems Putin was on a roll. Before Micklethwait could ask him another question, he interrupted to provide more of his insight on the hacks:
“Listen. Does it even matter who hacked this data from the campaign headquarters of Mrs. Clinton? The important thing is the content that was given to the public.”
Putin believes that the information that the hackers revealed outweighs the “who” and “why.” In his eyes, the media search for who is responsible is a smokescreen designed to distract from pertinent matters.
He then went on to throw some subtle jabs at the American political process. He implied the information revealed was not at all surprising:
“To be honest, I couldn’t even imagine that this sort of information is interesting to American society. Specifically that the campaign headquarters worked in the interests of one of the candidates, in this case, Mrs. Clinton, rather than equally for all of the Democratic party candidates.”
Detractors of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump believe that he and Putin are working together to manipulate the 2016 election. To them, these denials are just another in a series of artful dodges from the slick political operator.
Putin’s Presidential Pick?
When asked which candidate he would prefer to take the White House, Putin endorsed neither candidate implicitly. He did, however, outline the qualities he’d like to see in America’s next leader:
“I would like to work with a person who can make responsible decisions and implement any agreements that we reach. Their last name doesn’t matter.”
Micklethwait wasn’t about to let Putin off the hook with what he likely interpreted as a weak answer. Micklethwait pressed Putin about negative opinions he had expressed about Hillary Clinton in the past.
He emphasized the borderline “homoerotic” admiration Trump has expressed for Putin in public statements. Faced with this, Putin added some small amount of clarity:
“We are ready to work with any president. But of course, it depends on how ready the future administration is. If someone says that they want to work with Russia, we will welcome it. And if someone, as you said…wants to get rid of us, that will be a completely different approach.”
You can make of that statement what you will, and check out more of the interview here:
Featured Image via YouTube Video
