GOP Leader Throws Cold Water on Trump’s Warm Russian Relationships

That remark drew derision from Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence committee. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, joined incoming Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of NY and Sen.

“Obviously any foreign breach of our cybersecurity measures is disturbing, and I strongly condemn any such efforts, “McConnell said at a news conference at the Capitol Monday”. They went on: “This can not become a partisan issue. I don’t believe it”, said Trump.

Schumer is the incoming Senate minority leader, while Reed and McCain are their parties’ leaders on the Senate Armed Services Committee. He says the committee plans to hold an inquiry next year into Russia’s cyber threats to the military and other institutions.

McConnell’s counterpart in the House, Speaker Paul Ryan, has not yet backed calls for an investigation into the hacking and reports that it was meant to boost Trump. House committees have not announced plans for hearings, and Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan issued a statement criticizing Russian Federation but blasting what he termed “exploiting the work of our intelligence committee for partisan purposes”. The Electoral College electors demanded a briefing, the Senate Majority Leader came out in support of the bipartisan hearing, and the White House is pointing out to the world that Trump is covering for the Russians because they helped him win. Podesta said he spoke to the Federal Bureau of Investigation about the hacking, and intelligence experts blamed Russian Federation for that as well.

But Mr Trump, on another TV station broadcast on the same morning, rejected as “ridiculous” reported USA intelligence findings that Russian Federation intervened in the presidential election on his behalf through targeted hacking.

“The bipartisan electors’ letter raises very grave issues involving our national security“. “What he believes is we should have evidence, not these off-the-record, unsourced quotes and leaks from a House Intelligence Committee where now you have the Federal Bureau of Investigation arguing with the CIA”, she said.

Trump’s chief of staff, Reince Priebus, also refuted this report on Meet The Press, saying, the “RNC was absolutely not hacked”.

President-elect Donald Trump need not worry: The results of the November 8 election are not going to be overturned. “It would be called conspiracy theory!“. Once they hack, if you don’t catch them in the act, you’re not going to catch them. “Why wasn’t this brought up before election?”

Conway also defended Trump’s refusal to accept Central Intelligence Agency findings that Russian Federation tried to influence the us election in an attempt to help the Republican. He stopped short of endorsing a special panel investigation.

Conway, speaking to George Stephanopoulos of Good Morning America, doubled down in her defense of Trump’s comments, angling for nuance rather than answer questions head-on.

And even as he resists a Congressional investigation, the president-elect is continuing to openly feud with the CIA, taking to Twitter to dismiss the findings of the intelligence agency he will soon be in charge of running.

Ironically, Trump’s denials about Russia’s hacking of Democratic National Committee emails could be fixed if he attended his daily intelligence briefings, which, as he admitted to Fox News’ Chris Wallace on Sunday, he does not always.