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U.S. Republican Senator Graham Says Russia Hacked His Campaign


U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham

A senior U.S. Republican senator took issue with President-elect Donald Trump on Russian interference in the U.S. elections and disclosed that Moscow had hacked his campaign.

Senator Lindsey Graham told CNN on December 14 that the FBI informed him three months before the November 8 elections that his accounts were breached.

Trump has rejected conclusions by the CIA and FBI that Russians hacked and then leaked Democratic National Committee e-mails and other documents that damaged the campaign of his opponent Hillary Clinton.

But Graham told CNN: "I do believe the Russians hacked into the DNC. I do believe they hacked into [Clinton campaign chairman John] Podesta's e-mail account. They hacked into my campaign account. I do believe all the information released publicly hurt Clinton, didn't hurt Trump."

Graham said he didn't think the leaks changed the outcome of the election, which he said Clinton would have lost anyway because she was not an "agent of change."

Graham is among the top Republicans who have called for retaliation against alleged Russian meddling in the election.

"My goal is to put on President Trump's desk crippling sanctions against Russia. They need to pay a price," he said on Twitter.

Based on reporting by CNN and AFP

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