Reid wants FBI investigation into election system hacks

WASHINGTON – Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said in a letter that he wants the FBI to investigate whether Russia is trying to influence this year’s election outcomes.

Reid wrote FBI Director James Comey and said recent intelligence briefings has made him concerned that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “goal is tampering with this election.”

The news comes in the wake of revelations that foreign hackers penetrated election systems in both Arizona and Illinois.

Reid wrote that he had recently been made aware of video evidence of “individual with long ties to Donald Trump and his top aides claiming to be in communication with Wikileaks.”

“The prospect of individuals tied to Trump, WikiLeaks and the Russian government coordinating to influence our election raises concerns of the utmost gravity and merits full examination,” Reid wrote.

Reid’s letter also cited the “cyber theft” of documents from the Democratic National Committee as well as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.