President Obama calls for intel report on Russian hacking
The White House is calling on U.S. intelligence agencies to deliver a comprehensive report that will contain evidence concerning Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. The request is making headlines just days after lawmakers in both the House and Senate announced plans this week to launch similar probes into the matter.
In early October, the Homeland Security Department and Office of the Director of National Intelligence formally accused Russia of hacking into the Democratic National Committee. Internal DNC communications were subsequently leaked and shared on social media, causing reputational damage to an organization at the center of a presidential election.
NBC News, citing an unnamed senior intelligence official, reports the information may be made public. White House counterterrorism advisor Lisa Monaco told reporters Friday about the White House request.
A timeline for when the report will be delivered remains unclear. CyberScoop has reached out to the White House and ODNI for comment.
During an event hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, Monaco said that cyberattacks against the U.S. crossed a “new threshold” in 2016.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., and Senate Select Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., are reportedly working closely together to investigate Russia’s suspected interference.
But as Washington rushes to uncover information collected by the country’s intelligence agencies, lawmakers do so in the shadow of a presidential inauguration for an individual who has continuously denied Russia’s aggression in cyberspace.
As a presidential candidate, Trump not only praised Russian President Vladimir Putin but also called on the Kremlin to find missing emails belonging to his then political opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
