--- title: Donald Trump: Lindsey Graham Says Russia Hacked Election description: Sen. Lindsey Graham countered President Trump's comments about who was responsible for the hacks that influenced the 2016 election canonical: https://time.com/4771426/lindsey-graham-election-interference-400-pound-hacker/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-08T21:18:03.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:48:40.522Z article:section: Politics og:title: Lindsey Graham: Russia, 'Not Some 400-Pound Guy' Hacked the 2016 election og:description: "There’s no doubt in my mind it was the Russians involved" og:url: https://time.com/4771426/lindsey-graham-election-interference-400-pound-hacker/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltda80a28b11dff99a/6988cc7b97cdff4c096b09c0/lindsey-graham-russia-hearing.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4000 og:image:height: 2250 og:image:alt: Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Holds Hearing On Russia Interference In The 2016 Election og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Lindsey Graham: Russia, 'Not Some 400-Pound Guy' Hacked the 2016 election twitter:description: "There’s no doubt in my mind it was the Russians involved" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltda80a28b11dff99a/6988cc7b97cdff4c096b09c0/lindsey-graham-russia-hearing.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Sen. Lindsey Graham: It Was Russia, 'Not Some 400-Pound Guy' That Hacked the 2016 Election > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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Sally Yates delivered her opening statement about the concerns she raised regarding one of President Donald Trump's national security adviser Michael Flynn and his connections with Russia_  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly May 8, 2017 9:18 PM UTC  Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, makes an opening statement during a hearing with former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates in Washington, D.C., on May 8, 2017. Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, makes an opening statement during a hearing with former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates in Washington, D.C., on May 8, 2017. Andrew Harrer—Bloomberg/Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly May 8, 2017 9:18 PM UTC South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham countered President Donald Trump’s previous comments about who was responsible for the hacks that influenced the 2016 presidential election during his opening remarks at a [Senate Judiciary subcommittee](http://time.com/4754803/donald-trump-russia-investigation-momentum/) hearing Monday,saying there was “no doubt in his mind” Russians were involved, Graham cited intelligence findings that Russian operatives tried to interfere in the election by hacking into the Democratic National Committee computer network as well as the emails of Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. “I think every American should be concerned about what the Russians did. From my point of view, there’s no doubt in my mind it was the Russians involved in all the things I just described — not some 400-pound guy sitting on a bed, or any other country,” Graham said. “Russia is up to no good when it comes to democracies all over the world.” Graham’s comments appeared to reference [statements made by Trump](http://fortune.com/2016/09/26/presidential-debate-hackers-body-shamed/?iid=sr-link1) during a presidential debate in September. “I mean, it could be Russia, but it could also be China. It could also be lots of other people. It also could be somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds,” Trump [said](http://fortune.com/2016/09/26/presidential-debate-hackers-body-shamed/?iid=sr-link1) at the time. “You don’t know who broke into DNC.” Trump again [raised the possibility](http://fortune.com/2017/04/30/trump-china-democrat-hack/?iid=sr-link4) that China orchestrated the DNC hack in an interview last month, though he offered no evidence to back the allegation. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4771426/lindsey-graham-election-interference-400-pound-hacker/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4771426/lindsey-graham-election-interference-400-pound-hacker/"},"headline":"Sen. 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