Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley says Russia's alleged meddling in November's presidential election shouldn't be a surprise because the United States worked to discredit the Italian Communist Party in Italy's 1948 election.
The U.S. was engaged in the Cold War with the Soviet Union at the time, and the CIA later acknowledged spending $1 million to attempt to sway the election away from communists.
Grassley said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday that the U.S. "doesn't come to this table hands-free" because of its own past covert actions.
The senator also seemed just as concerned about leaks that revealed reported contacts between President Donald Trump's campaign advisers and Russian officials.
The U.S. House and Senate intelligence committees are investigating.
