[bduerst]

>To the extent that this is true, campaign finance laws couldn't have stopped it

Again, the investigation is still underway and the full extent of the assistance is still unknown, meaning you can't assert that until the findings are released.

[thesis]

You can't assert that they were assisted by a foreign government until the investigation is over either... since the extent was unknown aka maybe not at all.

[espadrine]

That is the first time I have heard this position, and I find it indefensible.

“You can't assert that kids died in this school shooting until the investigation is over, since the extent was unknown.”

It similarly does not work if parents are preparing the funerals.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a report back in January 2017 decisively stating this:

> We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election.

> Russia’s goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency.

> […] We [CIA, FBI, NSA] have high confidence in these judgments.

> We also assess Putin and the Russian Government aspired to help President-elect Trump’s election chances when possible by discrediting Secretary Clinton and publicly contrasting her unfavorably to him. All three agencies agree with this judgment.

https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/ICA_2017_01.pdf