Six top U.S. intelligence officials told Congress on Thursday they agree with the conclusion that Russia acted to influence last year's election, countering President Donald Trump’s assertions that the hacking remains an open question.
Asked whether they believed the intelligence community’s January assessment that Russia was responsible for hacking and leaking information to influence the elections was accurate, all six spy and law enforcement bosses appearing before the panel said “yes”.
They included Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats, CIA director Mike Pompeo and acting FBI director Andrew McCabe, who was newly installed after Trump fired the agency’s chief James Comey this week.
Mr. Coats told the panel: “We assess that Russia is likely to be more aggressive in foreign global affairs, more unpredictable in its approach to the United States, and more authoritarian in its approach to domestic policies and politics.”
Mr. Trump has repeatedly denounced as “fake news” the accusations that members of his circle colluded with Russia.
