Hillary Clinton rebuked U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson for suppressing a report on Russia’s influence in the Brexit vote, calling the move “inexplicable and shameful.”
In a pair of BBC Radio interviews on Tuesday, the former secretary of state warned that the revelations of potential meddling are a further sign that the free world is in jeopardy.
“I’m dumbfounded that this government won’t release the report about Russian influence because every person who votes in this country deserves to see that report before your election happens,” she said, deeming the lack of transparency “outrageous.”
“We’ve got to stand up against any force, internal or external, who in any way threatens the foundations of our respective countries,” she said.
Johnson has decided to delay the report’s release until after the Dec. 12 general election, but details have already begun to leak, including allegations that Russian oligarchs bankrolled Conservative Party politicians.
Clinton, whose 2016 Democratic presidential run fell on the same year of the Brexit referendum, drew parallels between Russian interference in U.S. elections and trouble in the U.K.
“There is no doubt ― we know it in our country, we have seen it in Europe, we have seen it here ― that Russia in particular is determined to try to shape the politics of western democracies,” she said.
The report, vaguely titled “Russia,” was developed by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee and sent to Johnson in mid-October. The committee said it was up to Johnson to determine how to handle the information, but that it expected “to be in a position to publish the report imminently.”
However, the report may not show the same level of widespread interference seen in the U.S., as confirmed by former special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe that concluded in March. Earlier this month, BuzzFeed News cited two sources with direct knowledge of its findings who stated that British intelligence found no evidence that Russia shaped the result of the Brexit vote and the 2017 general election. So far, no evidence has been made public either.