Top Democrat says not clear if Americans helped Russians in election hack

NEW YORK – US Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said on Monday it was not known whether any Americans helped Russia in an alleged hacking campaign aimed at swaying the Nov. 8 election in Donald Trump's favor.

"We do not yet know whether the Russians had the help of U.S. citizens, including people associated with the Trump campaign," Schiff said at a congressional hearing on possible Russian intervention in the election. It is no crime for Trump or his associates to have ties to Russia, he added.

"On the other hand, if the Trump campaign, or anybody associated with it, aided or abetted the Russians, it would not only be a serious crime, it would also represent one of the most shocking betrayals of our democracy in history," he said. –Reuters