In an extensive interview with Fox News, President-elect Donald Trump called the CIA report, which claim Russian hackers rigged the election, “ridiculous”.
Hacking is becoming more and more commonplace. HPE’s Business of Hacking report found hackers are becoming more organized and functioning like a legitimate business with their goal to earn as much money as possible by disrupting businesses. But, how does hacking impact U.S. politics? According to Donald Trump, the Russian hack is “just another excuse”.
Trump explains that he does not believe Russian hackers played any influence in the election. “I don’t believe it. Every week it’s another excuse. We had a massive landslide victory, as you know, in the Electoral College,” Trump added.
Manheim, PA – October 1, 2016: People enthusiastically wave Make America Great Again Signs at a Donald Trump campaign rally. (George Sheldon / Shutterstock.com)
Trump also really debated the credibility of the report saying that “hacking is very interesting. “Once they hack, if you don’t catch them in the act you’re not going to catch them. They have no idea if it’s Russia or China or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed some place,” Trump argued.
Other than debating the merits of the CIA report, Donald Trump used the time to indirectly shed light on the future of America and how he plans to manage the country. One of the highlights of the interview was Trump’s decision to make daily intelligence briefings weekly instead of daily.
“These are very good people that are giving me the briefings. And I say, ‘If something should change from this point, immediately call me. I’m available on one-minute’s notice.’ I don’t have to be told—you know, I’m, like, a smart person. I don’t have to be told the same thing in the same words every single day for the next eight years. I don’t need that.”
Donald Trump’s interview and questions surrounding hacking and daily intelligence briefings follows a week of reports surrounding Russian and hackers. Last week, President Obama called for a report investigating whether or not hackers intervened in the 2016 election. In addition, multiple reports claim that Russia hacked political parties in order to assist Donald Trump and hurt Hillary Clinton.
CHARLOTTE, NC, USA – JULY 5, 2016: President Barack Obama delivering a speech at the Charlotte Convention Center. (Evan El-Amin / Shutterstock.com)
The Washington Post published a report that suggests “the CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency.”
In addition, the report argues that Russia hacked the Republican National Committee along with the Democratic National Committee but did not leak information on Republicans in order to assist Donald Trump’s Presidential Campaign. If true, it remains to be seen if those e-mails could be leaked out to the public once, Donald Trump becomes president.
Donald Trump’s response to these new reports and accusations? “Democrats are putting it out because they suffered one of the greatest defeats in the history of politics in this country.”
But, a bipartisan group of senators are not taking the Russia hack lying down. In a joint statement from Charles Schumer, John McCain, Jack Reed, and Lindsey Graham, the senators argued “more must be done.”
The senators continued by saying, “While protecting classified material, we have an obligation to inform the public about recent cyberattacks that have cut to the heart of our free society. Democrats and Republicans must work together, and across the jurisdictional lines of the Congress, to examine these recent incidents thoroughly and devise comprehensive solutions to deter and defend against further cyberattacks.”