Prensa. voanews.com
Intelligence
committees in both houses of Congress launched investigations Monday into
accusations that Russia interfered in the U.S. presidential election to boost
the chances that President-elect Donald Trump would win. The separate probes
about allegations of Russian cyberattacks to influence the outcome of last
month's election amounted to an early rebuke of Trump, who over the weekend
said the Central Intelligence Agency conclusion was "ridiculous" that
Russia engaged in cyberattacks to help him win. He continued to assail the
finding Monday.
Even
before he assumes power next month, the Republican Trump's mocking of the CIA
conclusion about Russian interference on his behalf put him at odds with both of
the top Republican lawmakers, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House
of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan. They endorsed bipartisan probes conducted
by the intelligence committees in each chamber of Congress.
"The
Russians are not our friends," McConnell said. He added that the
investigation should be undertaken with the idea that "the Russians do not
wish us well." Ryan said the House probe "should not cast doubt"
on Trump's victory, but that foreign interference in a U.S. election was
"entirely unacceptable" and Russian involvement "especially
problematic."
White
House spokesman Josh Earnest said the congressional review "is certainly
warranted when you consider the stakes and the consequences." But Trump
spokesman Jason Miller called the CIA conclusion about Russian interference
"an attempt to delegitimize President-elect Trump's win."
Clinton
camp responds
Trump's
election opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, has been silent about the Russian
hacking allegations. But her campaign manager, John Podesta, on Monday demanded
that the administration of President Barack Obama declassify and release all
the information it has about Russia meddling in the election.
Clinton
won the national popular vote against Trump but lost where it mattered, in the
state-by-state contests that decide U.S. presidential elections. Podesta called
for release of the intelligence data before electors in the Electoral College
vote to formally ratify Trump's victory on December 19.
In a pair
of comments on Twitter, Trump questioned why information about the computer
hacking was not widely known before the election. He contended that if Clinton
had won the election and Republicans "tried to play the Russia/CIA card,
it would be called conspiracy theory.”
But Obama
spokesman Earnest said, "This was all material that was known by
Republican politicians in the Congress that endorsed the president-elect. And
how they reconcile their political strategy and their patriotism is something
they'll have to explain."
Trump: I
don't believe it
Trump's
latest remarks came after he told Fox News in an interview aired Sunday that
the CIA conclusion about Russian cyberattacks to boost his chances of winning
was "just another excuse" by Democrats to explain his stunning upset
of Clinton, a former U.S. secretary of state.
"I
don't believe it. If you take a look at what [the CIA] said, there's great
confusion," Trump said Sunday. "Nobody really knows. They have no
idea if it's Russia or China or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed
someplace."
Trump
told Fox News that he does not oppose Obama's order to review cyberattacks the
CIA concluded came from Russia during the lengthy presidential campaign, but
said, "You should not just say 'Russia.' You should say other countries
also, and maybe other individuals." The CIA said it had "high
confidence" that Russia sought to help Trump win.
U.S.
intelligence agencies have concluded Russia interfered in the final stretch of
the presidential campaign to help Trump win the presidency, and not simply
meddle in the U.S. electoral process as previously believed, according to
senior Obama administration officials. The conclusion is based to some extent
on a finding that Russians hacked the Republican National Committee's computer
systems, in addition to those of Democratic organizations, but disclosed only
embarrassing emails from the Democrats, via WikiLeaks.
Reince
Priebus, the head of the Republican National Committee and Trump's pick for
White House chief of staff, told ABC News the party was not hacked.
"The
entire report is based on unnamed sources who are perhaps doing something they
shouldn't be doing by speaking to reporters or someone talking out of line
about something that is absolutely not true," Priebus said Sunday.
Trump's
rejection of the CIA conclusion came as Arizona Senator John McCain, the losing
2008 Republican presidential candidate, and three other senators called for the
investigation into Moscow's interference in the election, saying that it
"should alarm every American." McCain, along with Republican Lindsey
Graham and Democrats Jack Reed and Chuck Schumer, said the United States needs
to stop "the grave threats that cyberattacks conducted by foreign
governments pose to our national security."
Reservations
about top diplomat pick
The
investigation of Russia's interference in the election could complicate Senate
confirmation for ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson, Trump's likely pick
as the country's secretary of state.
In the
Fox interview, Trump praised Tillerson for the contacts he has across the world
and the oil deals he's made with Russia; but, McCain and Graham voiced concern
about the selection of the 64-year-old Tillerson and his connections with
Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump
aides say the president-elect has settled on Tillerson as the top U.S. diplomat
after a monthlong search, although no announcement has been made. Trump, while
not confirming the appointment, said Tillerson has the "great
advantage" that he knows many world leaders across the globe and
"knows them well." His longstanding support for free trade and an
expansive presence in the Middle East, however, are at odds with positions
Trump took during the long U.S. presidential campaign.
"He's
much more than a business executive," Trump said. "He's a world-class
player. He's in charge of an oil company that pretty much doubled the size of
his next nearest competitor. He does massive deals in Russia. He does massive
deals for the company, not for himself, for the company."
McCain
said the choice of Tillerson was "a matter of concern to me." "You
want to give the president of the United States the benefit of the doubt
because the people have spoken," McCain said of the election. "But
Vladimir Putin is a thug, a bully and a murderer, and anybody else who
describes him as anything else is lying."
After
Tillerson's oil agreements with Russia, the Kremlin in 2013 awarded him the
Order of Friendship, an honor reserved for foreigners. Tillerson's appointment
would have to be confirmed by the Senate, and Graham said that with his award
from Russia, "We'll have some questions. I don't want to prejudge the guy,
but that's a bit unnerving." Trump
adviser Kellyanne Conway told television interviewers Monday that Tillerson and
Putin are business partners, not close friends.
"It's
not like Vladimir Putin and Rex Tillerson are pounding down vodka at the local
bar," she said. "They're not intimate friends, but they deal with
each other through business interests." Capitol Hill correspondent Michael
Bowman contributed to this report