By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
The special counsel investigation into Russia’s interference with the presidential election is expected to cast light on the criminal underbelly of Moscow.
U.S. officials have long worried that organized crime in Russia posed a threat to democratic institutions.
“Those concerns, ever-present if not necessarily always top priorities, are front and center once more,” Time reports.
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who is heading the special investigation, has a powerful legal team that includes lawyers with experience fighting organized crime. Russian intelligence services have been accused of working with criminal operatives to undermine business competition for years.
As the team of investigators explores election meddling, it’s likely the focus will include the devastating cyberattacks of Democratic email accounts.
“It’s not an easy thing to kind of grasp or understand, but it’s very dangerous to our country because they have so many different aspects, unlike a traditional cartel,” said Robert Anderson, a retired FBI executive assistant director who worked counterintelligence cases and oversaw the criminal and cyber branch.
“You have to know where to look, which makes it more complicated,” he added. “And you have to understand what you’re looking for.”
