ALLEGED RUSSIAN MEDDLING IN US 2020 ELECTION
Trump fumes at intel report; Sanders slams Moscow after ‘Russian help’ reports

Afp, Washington
Bernie Sanders on Friday warned Russia not to meddle in the Democratic presidential race, as Donald Trump angrily dismissed assertions that Moscow was again seeking to boost his election chances.

Trump has come under fresh fire for removing US intelligence chief Joseph Maguire, replacing him with a loyal partisan with no direct experience in the field, days after Maguire's staff told lawmakers that Russia was again interfering in a US election to support Trump.

Sanders, a self-described socialist who is leading the race for the Democratic nomination to challenge Trump in November, told reporters that US officials briefed him "about a month ago" of efforts to interfere in the 2020 race.

"Unlike Donald Trump, I do not consider (Russian President) Vladimir Putin a good friend. He is an autocratic thug who is attempting to destroy democracy and crush dissent in Russia," Sanders said in a statement.

His comments came moments after The Washington Post reported that US intelligence told Sanders that Russia was seeking to help his campaign.

An exhaustive report by former FBI chief Robert Mueller found that Russia backed Trump's 2016 campaign, including by manipulating social media, but did not find that the campaign colluded with Moscow.

"Another misinformation campaign is being launched by Democrats in Congress saying that Russia prefers me to any of the Do Nothing Democrat candidates who still have been unable to, after two weeks, count their votes in Iowa," Trump wrote on Twitter.

"Hoax number 7!"