Incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer defended cryptic comments by President-elect Donald Trump that he knows “things that other people don’t know” when it comes to allegations of Russian hacking. Mr. Spicer told Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” that Mr. Trump is getting national security briefings “on a daily basis” and “there doesn’t seem to be conclusive evidence” that Russians were behind the hacking of Democratic e-mails during the election.
He also dismissed on Monday a report released by the FBI and Homeland Security Department supporting the accusations against Russia, calling it a “how-to” manual on basic cybersecurity for Democrats.
In an interview on NBC’s “Today Show”, he said President Barack Obama only punished Russia after Hillary Clinton lost the election and that the recent sanctions were politically motivated. — AP
