The 2016 presidential election will go down as one of the most controversial in recent history, with Russia's influence adding to the questions surrounding the results. While the consensus has been that Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee in favor of Donald Trump, the Kremlin no longer seems like they are hiding their favoritism.

From Russia with love

From the start of his campaign for president, Donald Trump made it a habit to hit back at his political opponents, celebrity critics, and other world leaders. While the former host of "The Apprentice" became known for his outlandish remarks on social media, in interviews, and his campaign stops, it was his praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin that raised eyebrows.

Trump went on to keep his tax returns private, leading many to believe that were financial ties back to the Kremlin, with various stories leaking that linked members of his campaign, and later, administration back to Russia. During a March 12 interview on CNN, a Russian spokesman finally admitted that the country had a favorite during the election.

(Russian's spox favoring Trump start at 5:30 in the above video.)

Joining CNN host Fareed Zakaria was Russian Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, who was pressed on whether or not the country had been in contact with the Donald Trump campaign during the election. "The answer is very simple, no," Peskov said. "American people and American politicians started the process of self-humiliation," he continued.

Not stopping there, Peskov referred to the United States as the "most powerful country in the world," before noting, "you say that a country can easily intervene and easily influence your electoral process. This is simply impossible."

Fareed Zakaria then grilled Dmitry Peskov and whether or not Russia interfered with the election in favor of Donald Trump.

Peskov denied any wrongdoing, but after initially pushing back at the claim that the Kremlin favored Trump over Hillary Clinton, the Kremlin press secretary eventually caved. "(Putin) might have had a preference for Mr. Trump given that, in his view, Hillary Clinton had tried to interfere in Russian domestic politics," Peskov said, explaining that Clinton's harsh comments about the country made Trump the more appealing option.

In addition, Peskov also addressed the allegations that members of the Trump campaign had met with Russian officials during the election, and claimed that Clinton staff members had also done the same.

Next up

With each passing week there appears to be yet another story linking the White House back to Russia, in one way or another. As Donald Trump continues to deny the ties between himself and the Kremlin, it doesn't appear that the story will die down anytime soon.
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