Photo: Screenshot/Donald J. Trump for President video
Reacting to CIA’s assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 US election, President-elect Donald Trump has called it “ridiculous” even some top Republican senators have called for a bipartisan look into the affair.
Instead, Trump said Democrats are using “just another excuse” for his defeat of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the November 8 election.
“I think it’s just another excuse,” Trump told Fox News Sunday in an interview broadcast Sunday. “I don’t believe it … Every week it’s another excuse.”
The 2016 campaign, one of the most divisive in recent American political history, saw repeated assertions that Moscow was trying to influence the outcome of the election.
Some top Republicans, meanwhile, have proposed hearings and investigations into the CIA’s conclusion that Russia authorized hacking and other tactics in order to bolster Trump and damage her Democratic rival Clinton.
Senator John McCain, chair of the Armed services comittee and former presidential candidate, issued a joint statement Sunday with incoming Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, seeking a bipartisan effort to explore the allegations and defend the nation against cyber attacks.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican, and Senator Jack Reed, a Democrat, backed the call.
“For years, foreign adversaries have directed cyberattacks at America’s physical, economic, and military infrastructure, while stealing our intellectual property,” their statement said.
“Now our democratic institutions have been targeted. Recent reports of Russian interference in our election should alarm every American.”
But during the Fox News interview questioned determination of Russia’s involvement, saying there is no way to know if Russia was behind the hacking of e-mail accounts belonging to Democratic and Clinton campaign officials.
“Once they hack if you don’t catch them in the act you’re not going to catch them,” Trump said. “They have no idea if it’s Russia or China or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed some place.”
In a departure from previous practices, Trump has also said he receives national security briefing “when I need it,” because it tends to the same information day-to-day.
“I don’t have to be told the same thing in the same words every single day for the next eight years,” Trump said, noting that Vice President-elect Mike Pence is receiving frequent briefings.
The billionaire businessman told the channel that “very good people” do the briefings, and he has told them: “‘If something should change from this point, immediately call me. I’m available on one-minute’s notice.'”
