Hacking Through Partisanship in the U.S. Electoral Scandal

MIN READDec 13, 2016 | 03:54 GMT

Accusations are swirling on both sides of the U.S. political aisle over Russia's alleged role in influencing the outcome of the November presidential election. But the partisan noise is obscuring the real issues at play.

(TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

More than a month after the U.S. presidential election, the tumult shows no sign of dying down. In fact, the noise around the roles of hacking and cyberintrusion in the vote rose several decibels Monday, following a weekend of charges that Russia put its thumb on the scales in November's election. But the resulting political debate, fueled by accusations that President-elect Donald Trump's supporters and potential Cabinet members were complicit in the hacks or, alternatively, that the Democrats are sore losers trying to undermine the incoming administration, is obscuring the larger geopolitical issues at play. What's more, it overlooks the fact that cyberintrusions are only the latest tool in a time-honored tradition of electoral meddling....