Former President Barack Obama knew about Russian attempts to hijack the U.S. presidential election but sat on the information because he thought Hillary Clinton would win, conservative commentator Michael Reagan told Newsmax TV.
Reagan told "Newsmax Now" the Russia story was not a story until Donald Trump beat Clinton in November 2016 to become the nation's 45th president.
"Obama had all this information about Russia and cyber and what they were doing, but as long as he thought Hillary was gonna win the election, it didn't mean anything," Reagan said.
"But as soon as Hillary lost the election, it meant everything."
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Reagan added it is no secret Russia has tried to stick its nose in American politics for several decades, dating back to the middle of the Cold War when tensions between the two countries were icy at best.
"Russia has been trying to be involved or has been involved in our elections for 40 years," Reagan said. "This is not new."
The Department of Justice is investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. The probe has resulted in several indictments of American citizens, although those charges were not related to collusion or election interference. Several Russians, however, were indicted for trying to sway the election through various means.
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