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US Intelligence: Top Russian Officials Behind Election Interference

by VOA News

   Top U.S. intelligence officials say they believe high-level Russian
   authorities were directly responsible for the hacking and leaking of
   documents from the Democratic National Committee in an effort to
   interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

   "We assess that only Russia's senior-most officials could have
   authorized the recent election-focused data thefts and disclosures,"
   Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, National Security
   Agency chief Michael Rogers and Undersecretary of Defense for
   Intelligence Marcel Lettre said in prepared opening remarks for their
   testimony Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee. They
   called Russian cyber-attacks a "major threat" to national interests.

   WATCH: Clapper on Russia hacking

   While the intelligence chiefs agreed that Russia was involved in
   hacking the DNC documents, Clapper noted that the intelligence
   community "can't gauge" any effect the information released by
   WikiLeaks might have had on citizens' choices in the voting booth.

   "They did not change any vote tallies or anything like that," he said.
   Clapper went on to say that China also has successfully conducted cyber
   espionage against the U.S. government in the recent past, though
   China's attempts to hack the U.S. have waned since the two countries
   signed a bilateral agreement to limit espionage in 2015.

   U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Combatant Commanders and Joint
   Chiefs of Staff at the White House in Washington, DC, Jan. 4, 2017.

   Obama ordered review
   President Barack Obama ordered the intelligence community to review
   potential foreign interference dating back to the 2008 election that
   first brought him to the White House.

   Clapper said Obama heard the results of the probe Thursday, and that
   President-elect Donald Trump will get the same briefing on Friday.

   Clapper also said the full report will be given to lawmakers next week
   and a redacted version of the report will be made public shortly after.

   The Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
   have both concluded that the Russian government was behind the 2016
   hacking, and intentionally divulged the documents via WikiLeaks to
   disrupt the election.

   In his opening remarks before the Senate hearing Thursday, committee
   chairman John McCain said "every American should be alarmed" by
   Russia's actions. He said "Congress must set partisanship aside" in
   probing and preventing cyber attacks on America.

   WATCH: McCain on Russia hacking

   A Senate Foreign Relations Committee closed-door hearing later Thursday
   will feature Homeland Security cybersecurity official Danny Toler and
   State Department officials Victoria Nuland and Gentry Smith.

   Obama responded to Russia last week with a set of sanctions targeting
   the country's leading spy agencies and the expulsion of 35
   "intelligence operatives."

   FILE - President-elect Donald Trump speaks to reporters at Mar-a-Lago
   in Palm Beach, Fla.

   Trump on hacking

   President-elect Trump has repeatedly expressed doubt that Russia
   meddled in the vote, though he appeared to backtrack slightly Thursday
   morning, tweeting that he is a "big fan" of US intelligence while
   taking a swipe at the "dishonest media" for misrepresenting his views.

   "The dishonest media likes saying that I am in Agreement with Julian
   Assange - wrong. I simply state what he states, it is for the people to
   make up their own minds as to the truth. The media lies to make it look
   like I am against "Intelligence" when in fact I am a big fan!" Trump
   said in back-to-back tweets.

   Clapper, during Thursday's hearing, said he does not believe Assange is
   a credible source, noting that the WikiLeaks founder has, in the past,
   put the lives of U.S. intelligence operatives at risk.

   "I don't think those of us in the intelligence community have a whole
   lot of respect for him," said Clapper.

   [U.S. Senate Correspondent Michael Bowman and National Security
   Correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this story.]