Putin 'personally involved' in hacking US presidential election, say two intelligence sources

Russian President Vladimir Putin, pictured at a theatre this month, allegedly had personal ties to the hacking operation (AP)

Vladamir Putin was personally involved in hacking the US presidential election, according to senior US intelligence officials.

The Russian president reportedly dictated how hacked material from Democrats would be leaked and otherwise exploited.

What apparently began as a “vendetta” against Hillary Clinton morphed into an effort to expose corruption in American politics and to “split off” its key allies.

It follows White House reports that Donald Trump was “obviously aware” of the Kremlin’s involvement and follows claims it was “highly probable” Russia meddled with Brexit.

NBC News claims two senior US intelligence officials believe there is “a high level of confidence”, implying that the evidence is incontrovertible, that Putin was directly linked.

“It is most certainly consistent with the Putin that I have watched,” said Michael McFaul, ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014.

“He has had a vendetta against Hillary Clinton, that has been known for a long time, because of what she said about his elections back in the parliamentary elections of 2011.

“He wants to discredit American democracy and make us weaker in terms of leading the liberal democratic order.

“And most certainly he likes President-elect Trump’s views on Russia.”

The multi-millionaire property mogul says he does not believe the CIA's conclusion, which is not shared by the FBI, that the Russian government tampered with the US election.

The latest intelligence however, according to the NBC News report, is based on much more than the statement signed by 17 intelligence agencies in October - which blamed Russia for the Democratic National Committee hack.

Two anonymous DNC officials said a sweep of its Washington DC offices found a radio signal device near the chairman’s office which could have been used to listen to phone calls.

That same month, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and Homeland Security accused Russia of dribbling out the Hillary Clinton emails via WikiLeaks.

Mr Putin has repeatedly, and furiously, rejected the string of cyber attack allegations and dismissed claims as "hysteria".

According to the source, US intelligence agencies have stepped up their probing of the former KGB officer's secretive personal financial empire, which is estimated to be $85bn in assets.

The Independent has contacted Mr Putin's Presidential Press Office for comment.