Trump Says His Briefing on ‘So-Called’ Russia Hacking Is Delayed

EghtesadOnline: President-elect Donald Trump said his intelligence briefing on allegations that the Russian government was behind a hack of Democratic campaign e-mails has been delayed until the end of the week, and that U.S. officials may need more time to bolster their conclusions.

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04 January 2017

“The ‘Intelligence’ briefing on so-called ‘Russian hacking’ was delayed until Friday, perhaps more time needed to build a case,” Trump tweeted Tuesday night. “Very strange!”

A U.S. official, who has knowledge of the matter and asked for anonymity, said that Trump is to be briefed on an intelligence summary on foreign interference with the U.S. presidential election in the next few days. The briefing hadn’t been scheduled for Tuesday, the official said. Trump said Dec. 31 that he planned to release more information about the Russia hacking on Tuesday or Wednesday.

According to Bloomberg, President Barack Obama last week moved to sanction top Russian intelligence officials over the hack. The Obama administration also expelled 35 Russian intelligence operatives from the country, and restricted access to two Russian diplomatic compounds.

Trump has repeatedly expressed skepticism at the conclusion of intelligence agencies that Russia was behind the hacking and release of e-mails in an effort to damage his campaign opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton. He has pledged to improve relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose government has denied it was behind the hacking, and praised the Russian leader last week for not retaliating after the Obama administration penalized Russian officials.

“I just want them to be sure, because it’s a pretty serious charge,” Trump told reporters on Saturday as he arrived at a New Year’s Eve celebration at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. “When you look at the weapons of mass destruction -- that was a disaster and they were wrong, and so I want them to be sure. I think it’s unfair if they don’t know. I know a lot about hacking, and hacking is a very hard thing to prove. It could be somebody else.”

That’s despite top Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, welcoming the sanctions and warning that Russia poses a threat to national security. Trump’s comments have riled critics, who say the president-elect is too quick to discount U.S. intelligence.

Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that Trump needs to make peace with U.S. intelligence agencies.

“He needs to stop denigrating the intelligence community. He’s going to rely on them. He’s going to have to rely on them,” Schiff said. “This is the overwhelming judgment of the intelligence community and, frankly, all of the members of the intelligence committees in Congress, Democrats and Republicans.”