Do i think that russian government attempts to make inroads by financing or befriending fringe political movements of their adversaries (same as US does btw)? Absolutely! They’ve definitely had contacts with far right and left groups in the west. Pretty long stretch to directly tipping the election though
I agree though - democratic leadership needs to quit sniffing their own farts and accept some responsibility for a change. The current russian spy mania on the news actually achieves nothing and plays into putins narrative imo
For what it's worth, I wonder if Russia is behind some of the libertarian movements of the last couple decades. I remember a decade or so ago, RT was quite fond of giving time to some of my, at the time, favorite libertarian talking heads. I think Russia might have an interest in propagating a more federalist interpretation of the US Constitution. It certainly lines up with the sort of Plutocratic system dominating post-Soviet Russia, and promotes a more isolated American foreign policy.
The real saboteurs of the 2016 election were the tone-deaf Democratic leaders. Supporting a candidate like Clinton in 2016, along with failing to effectively appreciate the threat of a populist like Trump, is really what cost them the election.