It s no secret that Russia was behind the election hacks of Donald Trump s political opponents with the express goal of getting Donald Trump elected as well as mobilizing a Kremlin-funded  troll army  to pose as Trump supporters and spread propaganda on his behalf. But it s almost inconceivable that Vladimir Putin actually got his own hands dirty   or is it?Intelligence official now report that Vladimir Putin was not only aware of the attacks on our election (and more specifically, Hillary Clinton), but directly participated in them   and by  participated,  we mean that he orchestrated the entire thing. NBC reports:Two senior officials with direct access to the information say new intelligence shows that Putin personally directed how hacked material from Democrats was leaked and otherwise used. The intelligence came from diplomatic sources and spies working for U.S. allies, the officials said.Putin s objectives were multifaceted, a high-level intelligence source told NBC News. What began as a  vendetta  against Hillary Clinton morphed into an effort to show corruption in American politics and to  split off key American allies by creating the image that [other countries] couldn t depend on the U.S. to be a credible global leader anymore,  the official said.Trump has repeatedly denied not only knowledge of the Russian operation headed by a man he once said he wanted to be his  new best friend,  but denied that they happened at all.So here s where we stand: Donald Trump won the election thanks to the direct interference not only of Russia but of Vladimir Putin himself   after Trump personally asked Russia to hack his enemies on national U.S. television. Since  winning,  he has appointed numerous pro-Russia people who will likely cater to Putin s whims, including one that a Russian political commentator calls  a Christmas gift  from Trump to Russia. Or, of course, he could be called a  thank you gift. Trump once said he could shoot someone in broad daylight and not lose a single supporter. On December 19, we learn whether or not he can hand our country over to the enemy and still manage to assume office. Electors have a historically hard job   and this will be the truest test of their patriotism imaginable. Will they stand up to Trump, or will they drive the final nail in our country s coffin?Watch a CBS report on this newest, most terrifying information, below:NEW: US intelligence sources confirm hacks could not have occurred without Putin s blessing, @jeffpeguescbs reports https://t.co/xSIJMLms3X pic.twitter.com/HpmgR7cg7f  CBS News (@CBSNews) December 15, 2016Featured image via Getty Images (Justin Sullivan/Ian Walton)