Trump ‘accepts’ intel claim that Russia hack played role in election

US PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump accepts the conclusion by US intelligence agencies that Russia tried to interfere in the election that will soon put him in the White House, a top aide said Sunday.

“He’s not denying that entities in Russia were behind this particular campaign,’’ incoming chief of staff Reince Priebus said.

That’s more than Trump himself has said, and he hasn’t responded to calls for Washington to retaliate. Those are decisions, aides said, that Trump will make after he becomes president on Jan. 20, though he and some of his Cabinet nominees could face sharp questioning this week.

Intelligence officials allege that Moscow directed a series of hacks in order to help Trump win the White House in the race against Hillary Clinton. Trump has expressed skepticism about Russia’s role and declined to say whether he agrees that the meddling was done on his behalf. “I think he accepts the findings,’’ Priebus said.

On Friday, US intelligence officials briefed the president-elect on their conclusions that the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 election on Trump’s behalf. Priebus attended along with Trump.

In an interview with The Associated Press after the briefing, Trump said he “learned a lot’’ from his discussions with intelligence officials, but he declined to say whether he accepted their assertion about Russia’s motives.

“Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. We have enough problems without yet another one,” Trump said.

“My suspicion is these hopes will be dashed pretty quickly,’’ Senate Republican Leader Mitch Mcconnell of Kentucky.

An unclassified version of the report directly tied Russian President Vladimir Putin to election meddling and said that Moscow had a “clear preference’’ for Trump over Clinton. AP