The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has conducted an assessment confirming Russia orchestrated the hacking of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to help president-elect Donald Trump win the election. These accusations have not only prompted President Obama to investigate the alleged Russian hacking, but have caused millions of Americans’ confidence in the country’s electoral system to be undermined.

“The DNC was put on notice in late 2015 that their computers were being hacked. They ignored the information and failed to act on it. They should have never underestimated the impact this breach of security would have on our national election,” sophomore Amanda Rodriguez said.

In an interview with Time Magazine, Donald Trump explicitly stated, “I don’t believe they interfered. That became a laughing point, not a talking point, a laughing point. Any time I do something, they say ‘oh, Russia interfered.'”

The CIA’s presentation to U.S. senators expressed Russia’s intentions and included key points explaining why they favored Trump as the next president.  Democratic senators asked Obama to reveal details about the events that took place and why the CIA believed Russia was behind the operation.  Along with details about the events, officials asked for portions of the CIA’s presentation and briefings on Russian interference during the election.

Alleged claims were first announced but the CIA on October 7th, when Moscow was accused of interfering through “political organizations.”  Past evidence has proven this is not the first time Russia has conducted cyber-spying on the United States, however, this has been the first time the country has had the means to interfere.

The unwillingness of President Obama’s response to the claims has left many Democrats upset.  Not knowing how to respond, the government was skeptical about publicly accusing Moscow and the effects they will would have on the country.  The possibility of Russia implementing retaliation policies will almost certainly raise tensions between the two superpowers and make it impossible to gain trust on both countries’ parts.