The Central Intelligence Agency reports shared to the United States high officials implicate Russia in not only interference with the recently concluded presidential elections, but also for Donald Trump's win. As Donald Trump dismisses the reports, intelligence agencies are not on the same confidence level on the assessment.
The report was a result of the intelligence agency's investigation of cyber attacks as early as October this year when a statement was issued that called out Russia for hacking activities that were directed towards the upcoming American elections on November. CIA has continued analysis ever since and now claims in "high confidence" that a clear goal was to boost Donald Trump's candidacy and otherwise weaken Hillary Clinton's ticket.
The Kremlin have denied the allegations of hacking and Oleg Morozov, a member of the foreign relations committee in the upper house of the Russian parliament called the allegations silly and results of paranoia. He also added that the claims are part of an attempt to continue Obama's anti-Russia legacy, which Trump is opposed to and pledging towards a warmer relationship.
President-elect Donald Trump regarded the report as "ridiculous" and attributed it as an excuse for the defeated camp. His transition team echoed the same sentiment by questioning CIA's integrity using the issue of the agency's 20013 Iraq WMD intelligence blunder. CIA retaliates by calling out Trump's apparent disregard on the findings as politically motivated. This, notes the Wall Street Journal, is one of the rare moments when US intelligence agencies are at odds with an incoming president or an incumbent. The reports added that a strong relationship between the President and intelligence agencies are crucial for America's stance against foreign and domestic threats.
There have been different reactions from Democrat and Republican senators regarding the reports. According to The Washington Post, Democrat senators and even some Republicans requested President Barack Obama to have the reports declassified for a better understanding could be achieved as to why CIA came up with the conclusion. Other Republican senators, on the other hand, question the evidence that led to the conclusion and dismissing most of it as circumstantial.
Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation contradicts with the CIA findings. As CIA concludes the report with a level of confidence; FBI, while believing the cyber activities were something to look into, is not totally convinced that Russia's motivations were directed to any goals, especially the elections. This is often attributed to the different culture of handling cases as such between the FBI and CIA. The Wall Street Journal writes that the reluctance to be on board with the CIA reports is due to FBI's need to find tangible evidence that would build a strong case in court.
Amidst the cloud of secrecy and the incongruent claims from FBI and CIA, President Obama is said to have ordered the end of the report soon before his term ends. Noting the seriousness of the situation, not only for the integrity of US elections but also for the urgency of dealing with foreign illegal interference in US affairs.
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