Page 2 - aruba-today-20170107

A2 UP FRONT
Saturday 7 January 2017
U.S. report: Putin ordered effort to help Trump, hurt Clinton

EILEEN SULLIVAN fied information Friday.
DEB RIECHMANN Just hours before he was
JULIE PACE briefed, Trump dismissed
Associated Press the assessment and told
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rus- The New York Times the
sian President Vladimir focus on Russia’s involve-
Putin ordered a hidden ment is a “political witch
campaign to influence hunt” by adversaries who
America’s presidential are embarrassed they lost
election in favor of Donald the election.
Trump over Hillary Clinton, “They got beaten very
U.S. intelligence agen- badly in the election,”
cies declared Friday in the Trump said.
government’s first formal “They are very embar-
allegation supporting sen- rassed about it. To some
sational claims that Trump extent, it’s a witch hunt.
and his supporters have They just focus on this.”
staunchly resisted. After finally seeing the intel-
The intelligence report, an ligence behind the claims
unclassified version of a of the outgoing Obama
more-detailed classified administration, Trump re-
account given earlier to leased a one-page state-
Trump, the White House ment that did not address
and congressional leaders, whether Russia sought to
withheld the government’s meddle. Instead, he said,
evidence to back up its as- “there was absolutely no
sertions. effect on the outcome of
Trump, in a brief interview the election.”
with The Associated Press, U.S. Cyber Command Commander, National Security Agency Director, Central Security Services The top U.S. intelligence of-
Chief Adm. Michael Rogers, right, accompanied by Director of National Intelligence James Clap-
said he “learned a lot” per, center, and Defense Undersecretary for Intelligence Marcel Lettre II, testifies on Capitol Hill ficial, James Clapper, told
from his discussions with in- in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017, before the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing: Congress on Thursday that
telligence officials, but de- “Foreign Cyber Threats to the United States.” intelligence agencies had
clined to say whether he Associated Press no way of gauging what
accepted their assertion influence this meddling
that Russia had meddled in ed propaganda and paid and foreign policy. ability and potential presi- had in the outcome of the
the election on his behalf. “trolls” to make nasty com- The report lacked details dency,” it said. “We further election. It was unclear Fri-
“It was a really great meet- ments on social media ser- about how the U.S. learned assess Putin and the Russian day what evidence Trump
ing, I really like those peo- vices, the report said. There what it said it knows, such government developed a had to support his claims.
ple a lot,” said Trump, who was no suggestion that Rus- as any intercepted con- clear preference for Presi- As Trump met in New York
has challenged the intel- sia affected actual vote versations or electronic dent-elect Trump.” with intelligence officials
ligence community since counting or tampered with messages among Russian Putin most likely wanted to for his briefing about Rus-
winning the election. “I ballot machines. President leaders, including Putin, discredit Clinton because sia’s campaign, Congress
learned a lot and I think Barack Obama requested or about specific hacker he blames her for inciting tallied the Electoral Col-
they did also.” the report last month and techniques or digital tools mass protests against his re- lege votes, officially con-
Trump would not detail wanted it completed be- the U.S. may have traced gime in late 2011 and early firming Trump’s November
what evidence he was fore inauguration day. back to Russia in its investi- 2012, and because he re- victory.
presented with, saying The report, for the first time, gations. sents her for disparaging Trump acknowledged in
only that he learned “a explicitly tied Putin to the Exactly how the U.S. moni- comments she has made his statement that “Russia,
lot of confidential things.” hackings, called it the tors its adversaries in cyber- about him, the report said. China, other countries, out-
Because Trump is not yet “boldest effort yet” to influ- space is a closely guarded It said the Russian effort was side groups and people”
president, he is legally con- ence a U.S. election, and secret, since revealing the “boldest yet” intended are consistently trying to
strained from revealing said the Russian govern- such details could help for- to affect a U.S. election. hack U.S. networks, includ-
classified information. ment provided emails to eign governments further The report was released ing the Democratic Na-
In an earlier written state- WikiLeaks — something the obscure their activities. shortly after intelligence tional Committee’s.
ment, Trump said it was website’s founder, Julian The unclassified version officials finished briefing He said, as did the intelli-
clear Russian email hack- Assange, has repeatedly included footnotes ac- Trump — a move probably gence report, that “there
ing did not deliver him the denied. The intelligence knowledging that it “does intended to bolster the in- was no tampering what-
presidency. agencies also said Russia not include the full sup- telligence findings against soever with voting ma-
The unclassified version of will continue to try to influ- porting information on key pushback from the presi- chines.”
the intelligence report was ence future events in the elements of the influence dent-elect. Trump said that as presi-
the most detailed public U.S. and worldwide, partic- campaign.” It said its con- Trump could use the lack dent he would appoint a
account to date of Rus- ularly among U.S. allies. clusions were identical to of supporting details in the team to develop a plan to
sian efforts to interfere with Since Election Day, the in- the classified version, which public version to fuel his dis- “aggressively combat and
the U.S. political process, telligence agencies said, was more detailed. missiveness of the findings, stop cyberattacks.”
with actions that included Russia has launched a The unclassified report said even though he has now Before the intelligence
hacking into the email ac- “spear-fishing” campaign the Russian effort was both been briefed on the classi- agencies completed their
counts of the Democratic to try to trick people into political and personal. fied portion. assessment, Obama an-
National Committee and revealing their email pass- “Russia’s goals were to un- Trump has been dismissive nounced sanctions against
individual Democrats like words, targeting U.S. gov- dermine public faith in the of the intelligence agen- Russia late last year. Trump
Hillary Clinton’s campaign ernment employees and U.S. democratic process, cies’ claims of Russia’s in- has not said whether he will
chairman John Podesta. think tanks that specialize in denigrate Secretary Clin- volvement for months, long undo them once he takes
Russia also used state-fund- national security, defense ton and harm her elect- before he saw the classi- office.q