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Congress
Washington, Jan. 5, 2017 (Reuters/NAN) Senior U.S. intelligence officials will testify in Congress on Thursday, on Russia’s alleged cyber attacks during the 2016 election campaign, the report said.
However, it stated that the U.S. President-elect Donald Trump casts doubt on intelligence agencies’ findings that Moscow orchestrated the hacks.
The hearings come a day before Trump is due to be briefed by intelligence agency chiefs on hacks that targeted the Democratic Party.
Trump is heading for a conflict over the issue with Democrats and fellow Republicans in Congress.
Many of them are wary of Moscow and distrust the New York businessman’s praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin and efforts to heal the rift between the U.S. and Russia.
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers and Under secretary of Defence for Intelligence, Marcel Lettre are expected to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The committee is chaired by Republican John McCain, a vocal critic of Putin.
Their testimony on cyber threats facing the U.S. will come a week after President Barack Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian suspected spies and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies.
They were alleged of their involvement in hacking U.S. political groups in the 2016 election.
U.S. intelligence agencies said that Russia was behind hacks into Democratic Party organisations and operatives before the presidential election, a conclusion supported by several private cybersecurity firms.
Moscow denies the hacking allegations.
U.S. intelligence officials have also said the Russian cyber attacks aimed to help Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 election.
Several Republicans acknowledge Russian hacking during the election but have not linked it to an effort to help Trump win.
Documents stolen from the Democratic National Committee and John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign manager, were leaked to the media in advance of the election, embarrassing the Clinton campaign. (Reuters/NAN)
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======Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Morayo Omolade