Trump derides US intelligence on hacks

President-elect backs Assange’s claims on Russia

Washington, Jan. 4: President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday again cast doubt on US intelligence findings that Russia hacked the presidential election, repeating Wiki Leaks founder Julian Assange’s assertion that leaked information damaging to Democrats did not come from Moscow.

It was his latest attack on a key body he will rely on as commander in chief and again put him at odds with the agencies’ unanimous conclusion that Russia hacked Democratic Party groups and individuals to interfere in the US presidential election.

Mr Trump suggested that intelligence officials postponed an “‘intelligence’ briefing on socalled ‘Russian hacking’” that they were set to deliver to him this week because they might need more time “to build a case.” He called the alleged delay “very strange.”

“Julian Assange said ‘a 14-year-old could have hacked Podesta’ — why was DNC so careless? Also said Russians did not give him the info!” the Republican posted on his preferred communication platform, Twitter.

Mr Trump was referring to thousands of emails hacked from the Democratic National Committee and from Clinton campaign chief John Podesta, which were published by Wiki Leaks in the weeks ahead of the November 8 presidential election.

“Somebody hacked the DNC but why did they not have ‘hacking defense’ like the RNC has,” Mr Trump added, referring to the Republican National Committee.

The US intelligence community has concluded that the hack-and release of the emails was designed to put Mr Trump — a political neophyte who has praised Russian leader Vladimir Putin — into the Oval Office.

Moscow has repeatedly dismissed the allegations that it was responsible for the cyber-meddling.

Assange said in an interview with Fox television broadcast on Tuesday that Mr Podesta’s Gmail account was “something a 14year-old kid could have hacked.” He insisted that Russia was the source of the hacked material.