Russian politician Vyacheslav Nikonov said that the US “intelligence missed it when Russian intelligence stole the president of the United States" last night on the Russian television show, “Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyov.” Nikonov is a member of the Russian assembly Duma. The theme of the show was the decline of US power in the world.
According to The Hill:
The focus of the episode was the decline of U.S. power in the world. In that context, said University of Virginia professor Allen Lynch via email, Nikonov was less stating the extent of Russia's involvement in the 2016 election, and more mocking the resulting chaos as emblematic of U.S. weakness.
“His point in making the remark was that if the U.S. can’t protect the integrity of its own electoral system, then how powerful can it really be?” wrote Lynch.
Reporter Julia Davis was the first to notice the comment and says, "Nikonov continued to talk about the superiority of Russia's intelligence services over U.S. re: knowledge of North Korea, Afghanistan, Syria."
#Russia's state TV mocks American intelligence services:
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) September 11, 2017
MP Vyacheslav Nikonov says U.S. spies slept while Russia elected a U.S. President. pic.twitter.com/BmMNBTr41R
Source: https://t.co/Gp9WolHa6O
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) September 11, 2017
Nikonov continued to talk about the superiority of Russia's intelligence services over U.S. re: knowledge of North Korea, Afghanistan, Syria
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) September 11, 2017
Image: Kremlin.ru
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