A Russian lawmaker has claimed that a civil war is brewing in America, while calling Donald Trump “dumb.” Andrey Lugovoy, a member of the State Duma—the lower chamber of Russia’s parliament—argued that Moscow should take advantage of the deep divisions between Republicans and Democrats to cause a government shutdown.

In a staggering appearance on Russian state TV, Lugovoy said the differences between the two US political parties have reached a point where they are impossible to resolve, and suggested that the Kremlin should interfere. He stated that he does not consider claims of an impending civil war in America to be a conspiracy theory.

Referring to the Republicans and Democrats, Lugovoy said: “They’re currently using political repressions against each other in the most proactive way… Secondly, they will never agree about migration, we’ve heard it from their statements. Of course, we should take advantage of this unsolvable problem.”

He went on to accuse the US of meddling in Russian affairs and argued that Moscow should adopt a more politically aggressive stance.

Lugovoy is a former KGB officer suspected by the UK of involvement in the 2006 murder of ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in London. Litvinenko died after ingesting radioactive polonium-210, which was believed to have been administered in a cup of tea. Lugovoy has dismissed these accusations as “absurd.”

During his appearance on the state TV show *60 Minutes*, Lugovoy suggested that Russia could be more politically aggressive through outlets like its controlled news channel, Russia Today. Representing the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia—a party considered part of the country’s systemic opposition—he claimed Moscow should buy journalists and politicians abroad.

“We should plant our people into US domestic life,” Lugovoy said, adding that he was “deeply convinced” of placing operatives within the Democratic Party. “We should further pit them [Republicans and Democrats] against each other. We should take advantage of their existing differences. We should drive them not only to an economic shutdown, but a political one. We shouldn’t be shy about it.”

He continued: “They often accuse us of interfering in their elections; we say that we aren’t, we really aren’t, but we should interfere. We are developing our propagandist activities — I mean it in a positive sense — in Europe and America. We should intensify it even more.”

Commentators and guests on Russian state TV often share anti-Western messages. Earlier in his appearance, Lugovoy criticized the US President by saying that Trump “says whatever pops into his head,” and added, “Mr. Trump says things that are obviously dumb from every standpoint.”
https://www.express.co.uk/news/2117945