Trump rejects intel as lawmakers seek probe of Russia hacking
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump on Sunday called a recent CIA assessment of Russian hacking “ridiculous” and says he’s not interested in getting daily intelligence briefings — an unprecedented public dismissal by a president-elect of the nation’s massive and sophisticated intelligence apparatus.
Trump’s remarks come as key congressional Republicans joined Democrats in demanding a bipartisan investigation into the Kremlin’s activities and questioned consideration of Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson — who has close business ties with Moscow — as head of the State Department.
The finding alarmed lawmakers, including Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain who said Sunday he planned to put Sen. Lindsay Graham, a staunch Trump critic, in charge of investigating the claim.
McCain also has questions about Tillerson’s business relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, although it’s not clear Tillerson will be nominated.
Exxon steadily expanded its Russian business on Tillerson’s watch even as its rivals faced expropriation and regulatory obstacles.
Later Sunday, Trump tweeted: Whether I choose him or not for ‘State’- Rex Tillerson, the Chairman & CEO of ExxonMobil, is a world class player and dealmaker.
Separately, Trump rejected the CIA’s conclusion that Russia tried to interfere with the presidential election and blamed “very embarrassed” Democrats for the public release of the assessment.