Russia’s top diplomat questioned the United States’ global intelligence apparatus and its motives as he discussed the controversy surrounding resigned national security adviser Michael Flynn and his talks with a Russian ambassador, the state-run Tass Agency reported.
“When the scandal involving General Michael Flynn, who had been working as [President Donald Trump’s] adviser for a few weeks, broke out, the US secret services told reporters that our ambassador Kislyak was routinely wiretapped, particularly meaning his reports to Moscow about his official diplomatic activities in Washington,” Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday.
Lavrov also questioned the U.S. and its intelligence community’s methods and far-reaching electronic powers when he talked about countries who attempt “to follow all developments around the world, sometimes using methods not recognized as completely legitimate.”
Lavrov was likely referring to the U.S.’ hacking of other countries and foreign leaders, most notably France during its 2012 presidential elections, Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel’s person cell phone and its overall global intelligence gathering efforts detailed in the leaks conducted by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden in 2013.
Flynn, who was forced to resign a post he had worked for only three weeks, was accused of inappropriate and frequent discussions with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak both before Election Day and during President Trump’s transition to the White House.
The U.S. intelligence agencies, many of which have leaked information to major news outlets like the Washington Post and The New York Times, have routinely monitored the communications of Russian diplomats. Kislyak confirmed he had spoken to Flynn via phone, text message and in person, according to The Post earlier this month.
It has been asserted that Flynn told Kislyak that Russia should not worry about the sanctions placed on it by President Barack Obama for Russia allegedly hacking the presidential election in an attempt to assure Trump took office.
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