Haley's statement contradicts Trump's stance on Russia
Nikki Haley, the US' ambassador to the UN, said Russia was "certainly involved" in last year's presidential elections. The statement contradicts President Donald Trump's stance on the issue. Trump has often praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and repeatedly dismissed reports of Moscow's alleged election interference as "fake news." Haley said despite their differences, Trump has never tried to stop her from criticizing Russia.
No proof that Russia was involved in hacking: Trump team
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer stated that there was no evidence to suggest Russian hacking influenced the US Presidential elections. He added that it would be unwise to comment on the matter until an intelligence report is completed and released later this week. He clarified that "The idea that we're jumping to conclusions before we have a final report is irresponsible."
Who is Nikki Haley?
Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haley was born in 1972 in Bamberg, South Carolina, to Sikh immigrants from Amritsar. She was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2004. She was elected as the state's governor in 2010, becoming the second Indian-American governor after Bobby Jindal. She has converted to Christianity but continues to attend services in Sikh gurudwaras.
Allegations against Russia
In 2015 and early 2016, hackers broke into the Democratic National Committee servers and created outlets on the internet to make the Democratic documents public. The documents included Hillary Clinton's emails and internal communications of the DNC. It forced the resignation of the DNC Chairwoman and created a rift between supporters of Clinton and Sanders (as it showed internal DNC bias against Sanders.)
Haley: "There's no question" about Russia's involvement
"Certainly, I think Russia was involved in the election. There's no question about that," Haley said. "We don't want any country involved in our elections ever. And so once that information comes out, I expect that that will be handled accordingly."
Haley has differed from Trump over Russia in the past
In January, Haley had said it was essential for the Trump administration to "show them [Russia] what this new administration is going to be." She said Russia's role in the Syrian conflict made it necessary for the US to stand up to Moscow. However, she acknowledged that Washington needed Moscow's help to fight ISIS.
