Six national law enforcement and intelligence agencies have for months investigated whether Russian government officials provided money to hackers in the United States, who then hacked Democratic Party officials in order to undermine the credibility of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, according to a McClatchy report published Wednesday.
The six agencies -- which include the CIA, NSA, FBI, DOJ, the financial crimes enforcement division of the Treasury Department and officials who work under the director of national intelligence -- have been reportedly digging since "last spring."
That means the investigation began a long time before the FBI received the information from a British spy that was published by the media earlier this month.
The report is yet another example of how the United States government believes or has reason to investigate whether the Russian government tampered with the U.S. election process.
In this case, investigators are trying to figure out whether Russian officials used a system built to pay Russian-Americans a pension to instead provide hackers with cash, directly or indirectly.
U.S. officials have already blamed their Russian counterparts for orchestrating hacks against members and employees of the Democratic Party, which resulted in a torrent of leaked information and subsequent news stories about the content and security of Hillary Clinton's emails.
If proof emerged that Russian officials had not only directed the hacks, but paid for them, it would deepen the understanding that Russian politicians and officials orchestrated a campaign to help elect Donald Trump, who professed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin throughout his campaign for the White House. Trump has insisted he has "nothing to do with Russia."
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