ISTANBUL

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called for legal action against Americans involved in disseminating Russian election interference propaganda, saying it will serve as a "deterrent."

In an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday, Clinton emphasized the importance of indicting Russians directly engaged in election interference but also highlighted the role of American citizens in spreading disinformation.

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says taking legal action against Americans involved in spreading Russian propaganda on the US presidential election will serve as ‘deterrence’ https://t.co/2mOD52fxLh pic.twitter.com/qPm5pqbEgJ

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"I think it's important to indict the Russians...who were engaged in direct election interference and boosting (former US President Donald) Trump back in 2016," Clinton said. "But I also think there are Americans who are engaged in this kind of propaganda, and whether they should be civilly or even in some cases criminally charged is something that would be a better deterrence."

The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate against Trump praised recent efforts by the US State Department and Justice Department to uncover Russian influence, describing it as "the beginning of understanding the whole iceberg" and said there is "far distance to go."

Clinton stressed the need to protect the integrity of American elections from foreign interference, stating: "We are not going to let adversaries, whether it's Russia, China, Iran, or anybody else, basically try to influence Americans as to how we should vote in picking our leaders."