DNI Chief Clapper Takes Swipe at Trump, Assange as He Defends Russia Hack Intel

The nation’s top intelligence official on Thursday defended his colleagues’ findings that Russian agents interfered in the U.S. election — and dismissed the credibility of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange a day after the president-elect appeared to back him over the intelligence community.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper also took a swipe at the president-elect for “disparaging” the intelligence community.

Clapper told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Russia had stepped up its cyber espionage operations, but stopped short of declaring the Russian election hacking an “act of war,” saying that would be “a very heavy policy call” more appropriate for others to make.

The high-stakes Senate Armed Services Committee’s hearing came after president-elect Donald Trump continued to cast doubt Wednesday on intelligence findings that Russia hacked Democratic National Committee emails. It also comes on a day in which lawmakers were being briefed on the breadth and depth of Russian interference in the American election and on the eve of Trump’s own in-depth briefing on the matter.

 

Read More: DNI Chief Clapper Takes Swipe at Trump, Assange as He Defends Russia Hack Intel – NBC News