Ben Cardin acknowledges Russia did not determine the outcome of the election

Sen. Ben Cardin said Friday that there is “no question” Russia attempt to interfere in the U.S. presidential election, but acknowledged they did not determine the outcome.

“There is no question that Russia tried to influence our election,” Mr. Cardin, Maryland Democrat, said on CNN. “That is now well established. They tried to influence the election in favor of [President] Trump.”

“There were many connections between Russia and representatives of the Trump campaign,” he added. “The investigations taking place are going to give us some of those answers.”

When asked if he believed Russia rigged the outcome of the election for Mr. Trump, Mr. Cardin said “no.”

“No, I’m no suggesting the outcome was determined by Russia, but we do know Russia tried to influence the outcome of our election,” he said. “That’s a very serious matter, and we also know there were contacts made with members of the Trump campaign. That’s very disturbing.”