Garry Kasparov: Russia's Putin Has a Playbook for the U.S. Election

U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said the U.S. and its allies would not ignore Russia’s “attempts to interfere with our democratic processes” during a speech in England earlier this week.

Carter’s warning comes as speculation grows as to whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would attempt to influence the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. The leak of Democratic National Committee emails in July, which security experts believe had ties to Russian hackers, is fueling speculation.

Garry Kasparov, a Russian chess grandmaster, joined the FOX Business Network to discuss Russia’s interest in U.S. and global politics.

“[Putin’s] getting more and more active not only in the United States but across Europe,” Kasparov said. He has clear goals… After so many years of the weak foreign policy of the Obama administration, Putin believes that he could go for the highest price, which is to influence U.S. presidential elections.”

The Russian chess grandmaster believes Putin and President Obama have “comfortable relations,” but that Putin has the upper hand.

“Obama says whatever he wants to say, Putin does whatever he wants to do,” said Kasparov. “And if you look at the map—you look at the Middle East, you look at Europe—for any observer, Putin is winning. Obama keeps sending John Kerry to the Middle East and Putin keeps sending tanks and jet fighters. Obama retreated from some key parts of the geopolitical map. Putin immediately filled the vacuum. Putin’s everywhere and without Putin, Obama doesn’t see any solution of the problems America has been facing.”

Regarding the U.S. presidential election, Kasparov has this advice for our next Commander in Chief.

“What we need now, and neither candidate can offer us any comfort, we need to restore the credibility of the Oval Office, that has been badly damaged by Obama’s eight years in the White House,” he said. “With Hillary Clinton we’ll get almost all the same. I think she’ll be better than Obama on Russia.”

He added: “With Donald Trump it’s highly unpredictable. It’s like having a fresh drink—it’s a 50/50 chance of it being poisoned.”