Washington, July 26: A report released by the UN Senate Intelligence Committee has indicted Russian-based hackers of targeting the election system in all 50 states during the 2016 presidential polls. The findings of the report, which has been redacted by the intelligence agencies, claim that there is a substantial threat of election-meddling in the 2020 presidential race as well.

The report comes a day after former special counsel Robert Mueller claimed that Russia has initiated steps to "meddle in the elections next year" while the US authorities are not aptly prepared to counter them. Donald Trump 'Jokes' With Vladimir Putin on Russia's 'Meddling' in US Elections; Watch Video

A similar warning was sounded by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) chief Christopher Wray, who claimed that Russians continue to pose a threat to the presidential polls next year.

"The Russians are absolutely intent on trying to interfere with our elections," Wray told the Senate Judiciary Committee. "My view is until they stop they haven't been deterred enough, he added.

Mueller's investigation have documented a broad effort by Russian intelligence and a Russian social media group, the Internet Research Agency, to help Donald Trump and damage Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.

Mueller's report, released in April, documented extensive attempts by Trump's campaign to cooperate with the Russians to bolster the real estate mogul's chances.

Trump, meanwhile, continues to deny that Russians interfered or that his election victory was helped by outside aid. In a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki in July 2018, Trump said he accepted the Russian president's denial of meddling in the 2016 race, while rejecting the conclusion of US intelligence.

"I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today," Trump said.

Last month at the G20 meeting in Osaka, Trump again jokingly downplayed Russia's 2016 interference. Sitting next to the Russian leader, he said jokingly, wagging his finger: "Don't meddle in the election, president, don't meddle."

(With agency inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 26, 2019 08:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).