Albright on DNC hack: Putin eager for Trump to win

PHILADELPHIA – Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright alluded to the hack of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) during her convention speech Tuesday night, saying recent events suggested Russia is eager for Donald Trump to win the White House.

The comments were notable coming from a woman who served as America’s top diplomat under President Bill Clinton, and it was possibly the only time this week anyone referenced the cyberattack onstage at the Democratic National Convention.

{mosads}Albright used the issue to raise questions about Trump’s ability to lead the nation on foreign affairs.

“When asked about Putin, Donald Trump said, and I quote,  ‘in terms of leadership, he’s getting an A,’ ” Albright said.

“The truth is that a Trump victory in November would be a gift to Vladimir Putin and given what we have learned about Russia’s recent actions, Putin is eager for Trump to win. And that should worry every American,” she said.

Russia is believed to be behind the hack at the DNC. Emails released Friday by WikiLeaks show DNC officials seemingly working to undermine Bernie Sanders in his race with Hillary Clinton for the presidential nomination.

The timing of the release was notable. It occurred the day after the Republican convention ended, the day Clinton was expected to announce her running mate and a few days before the Democratic convention began.

President Obama on Tuesday said it was “possible” that Russia was trying to influence the U.S. presidential election.

American intelligence agencies have told The White House they now have “high confidence” the Russian government was behind the theft of the emails, according to a New York Times report.

Last fall, Trump said that he and Putin “would probably get along … very well,” praising the Russian president’s strengths. Putin later returned the flattery, calling Trump “a bright personality.”