Russians hacked US Republican National Committee, congressman says

[WASHINGTON] Russian hackers have breached computer systems at the Republican National Committee, according to Representative Michael McCaul, who heads the House Homeland Security Committee. An RNC spokesman denied the statement.

"They have not only hacked into the DNC, but also into the RNC, so they are not discriminating one party against the other," Mr McCaul, a Texas Republican, said on CNN, referencing a previously known attack on the Democratic National Committee. "The Russians have basically hacked into both parties at the national level."

Sean Spicer, an RNC spokesman, said on Twitter that there has been no known breach of the party's networks. Russian officials have repeatedly denied any involvement in US hacking.

Concern about political hacking rose after attacks on servers at the DNC and related organisations this summer.

Internal e-mails and other data were posted on the Wikileaks website and the revelations about DNC operations prompted Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to resign days before Mrs Clinton was formally named the party's nominee.

FBI Director James Comey said last month that the agency is working "very hard to understand" whether a foreign government is hacking US systems in order to influence elections or other national affairs.

"We take very seriously any effort by any actor including nation-states - but especially nation-states - that moves beyond the collection of information about our country and that offers the prospect of an effort to influence the conduct of affairs in our country, whether that's an election or something else," Mr Comey said at a conference.

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