Major US intelligence leaders have expressed support for an assessment by Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that Russia intervened in the 2016 US presidential election partly to help Donald Trump win the White House, local media reported on Friday.
A woman with a child walks past a mural of US President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Belgrade, Serbia, December 4, 2016. /CFP Photo
In a message to the agency's workforce, CIA Director John Brennan said that he met separately with Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) James Comey and Director of the National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper earlier this week, and "there is strong consensus among us on the scope, nature, and intent of Russian interference in our presidential election."
This file photo taken on August 14, 2008 shows a man crossing the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) logo in the lobby of CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. /CFP Photo
"The three of us also agree that our organizations, along with others, need to focus on completing the thorough review of this issue that has been directed by President Barack Obama and which is being led by the DNI," the Washington Post quoted Brennan's message as stating.
However, the US intelligence community doesn't believe Russia interfered with a "single purpose", according to the Washington Post report.
Earlier this month, President Obama ordered a full review of the Russian hacking, expecting it would provide "a comprehensive and best guess as to those motivations."
This file photo taken on November 20, 2016 shows Russian diplomat Yuri Ushakov (R) listening while US President Barack Obama (2ndL) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (2ndR) talk before an economic leaders meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit at the Lima Convention Centre in Peru. /CFP Photo
However, President-elect Trump has consistently dismissed the CIA findings about the Russian hacking, describing them as "ridiculous" and hinting the White House only bothered to look into the matter now that he has won the presidency.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Wednesday that President Obama had known about the hacking prior to the election, but refrained from acting on the information to avoid being seen as meddling in the democratic process.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that hacker groups linked to the Russian government have been actively trying to obtain information from the Democratic National Committee of the United States since last year.
Trump's criticisms came as a rift between the president-elect and the establishment widened regarding their respective stances on Russia.
Trump on Tuesday nominated Exxon Mobile CEO Rex Tillerson, who is known to have close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as his secretary of state. The nomination faces potential hurdles in Congress, with members of Trump's Republican Party threatening to vote against it.
This file photo taken on October 21, 2016 shows former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at a rally at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio. /CFP Photo
At a news conference during the presidential campaign in July, Trump encouraged Russia to hack his rival Democrat Hillary Clinton's email system and reveal the contents.
"I will tell you this, Russia: if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing," said Trump, referring to half of the emails deleted from Clinton's private email server as she claimed they merely contained personal information.
The Trump team later characterized that remark as a joke.
(Story from Xinhua)
