When asked whether the US meddles in the elections of other nations, ex-CIA director James Woolsey said "probably," and added, "only for a very good cause in the interests of democracy."
"Oh, probably, but it was for the good of the system in order to avoid communists taking over," Woolsey, who served as CIA director under former US President Bill Clinton, told Fox News.
On Saturday, the Russian embassy to the United Kingdom quoted Woolsey in a tweet, adding the comment: "Says it all."
Although the US intelligence community claims that Russian meddling in the US election began in 2014, Moscow denies any interference.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have urged further investigation into Russia's alleged election meddling as a means of preventing what they claim would be similar future interference by unknown actors, according to The Hill.