Russian hacker Guccifer 2.0 claims DNC planned to use Sanders' religion against him

A hacktivist who calls itself Guccifer 2.0 data dumped 20,000 emails Friday, July 22. Among these alleged messages is one in which Brad Marshall, DNC CFO, sent out an email suggesting that perhaps Bernie Sanders' religion could be used as an issue  with voters in Kentucky and West Virginia.

According to Biddle, the email was sent on May 15:

From:MARSHALL@dnc.org

To: MirandaL@dnc.org, PaustenbachM@dnc.org, DaceyA@dnc.org

Date: 2016-05-05 03:31

Subject: No shit

It might may no difference, but for KY and WVA can we get someone to ask his belief. Does he believe in a God. He had skated on saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This could make several points difference with my peeps. My Southern Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist.

Biddle reported that at 1:03 EDT, Marshall emailed Biddle to respond to publication of this letter. Marshall wrote, "I do not recall this. I can say it would not have been Sanders. It would probably be about a surrogate.” Biddle then says that, as of publication time, he was still waiting for Marshall's response as to who the surrogate could "possibly be."

Previous investigations of Guccifer 2.0, who allowed himself to be interviewed in June, have led DNC officials to tell online magazine Motherboard, “Our experts are confident in their assessment that the Russian government hackers were the actors responsible for the breach detected in April, and we believe that the subsequent release and the claims around it may be a part of a disinformation campaign by the Russians.”