Putin says U.S. hackers could have framed Russia in election hack

American hackers could haveplanted false evidence that Russia interfered in the U.S.presidential election, President Vladimir Putin was quoted assaying by NBC News on Saturday.

U.S. intelligence officials have said Russia tried tointerfere in the U.S. election by hacking the Democratic Partyto sway the vote in favour of Donald Trump, a charge the Kremlinhas repeatedly denied.

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In an interview with NBC News' Sunday Night with MegynKelly, a preview of which was released to media, Putin saidhackers in the United States could have made it look like Russiawas behind the hack for political reasons.

"Hackers can be anywhere. They can be in Russia, in Asia ...even in America, Latin America," Putin said. "They can even behackers, by the way, in the United States, who very skilfullyand professionally, shifted the blame, as we say, on to Russia."

"Can you imagine something like that? In the midst of apolitical battle. By some calculations it was convenient forthem to release this information, so they released it, citingRussia. Could you imagine something like that? I can."

Speaking at Russia's flagship St. Petersburg InternationalEconomic Forum on Friday, Putin said the hacking accusationswere no more than "harmful gossip" and any evidence cited byU.S. intelligence could easily have been faked.