US intelligence believes Russian president Vladimir Putin was personally involved in the US election hacking to tear down Hillary Clinton’s campaign, it has been reported.
NBC News said officials held a “high level of confidence” in the belief Russia’s leader gave direct instructions on how leaked material hacked from the Democratic Party was used.
The CIA has already concluded Russia had intervened in the US election in a bid to bring Donald Trump to victory, the Washington Post reported.
All 17 US intelligence agencies also backed the claim Russia was behind the hack into the Democratic National Committee.
President-elect Mr Trump has always hit out at the allegations of hacking, calling them ridiculous.
It is thought the alleged hacking could be part of a vendetta, after it was suggested President Putin has never forgiven Hillary Clinton for questioning the integrity of the Russian 2011 election.
The intelligence officials – including spies and diplomatic sources – told NBC that Putin started the alleged hacking to take revenge.
But they said it then morphed into an attempt to expose the corruption in US politics.
A formal investigation into what happened has been called for by US legislators.
