Hillary Clinton weighs in on UK’s delay in releasing Russia report

Hillary Clinton (left) talking to Mary Beard at the Southbank Centre in London at the launch of Gutsy Women: Favourite Stories of Courage and Resilience a book by Chelsea Clinton and Hillary Clinton about women who have inspired them. PA Photo. Picture date: Sunday November 10, 2019. Photo credit should read: Aaron Chown/PA Wire - Credit: PA

Hillary Clinton has called Boris Johnson’s government’s delay in releasing a report into potential Russian interference in UK elections ‘damaging, inexplicable and shaming’.

The 2016 US presidential candidate and ex-secretary of state told the Guardian that it was “incredibly surprising and unacceptable that in your country there is a government report sitting there about Russian influence and your current government isn’t releasing it”.

She added: “I mean, who do they think they are that they would keep information like that from the public, especially before an election?

“Well, I’ll tell you who they think they are. They think that they are the all-powerful, strong men who should be ruling”.

The report into Russian interference has been approved by the UK’s intelligence agencies, and Downing Street was sent a final draft in mid-October but has not yet signed off the report.

Dominic Grieve, chairman of the committee behind the report, called the decision to delay “jaw-dropping”, as Downing Street said they would need six weeks to sign off the report.

READ MORE: Dominic Grieve says government’s refusal to publish Russia report is ‘bogus’READ MORE: Petition calling for release of ‘Russian interference’ report reaches six figuresA key investigation of the report is into attempts by Russia to affect the outcome of the 2016 EU referendum.

It is also believed the Russians had interfered in the 2016 US presidential campaign.

Clinton said: “Someone said to me: ‘Quit with the Russians’. I said: ‘I’ll quit with the Russians when the Russians quit with us’. That’s how I feel.”

Hillary and Chelsea Clinton were being interviewed by the Guardian ahead of a co-authored book called ‘the Book of Gutsy women’.