TRUMP, THE CIA AND FBI, ALL HAVE DIFFERENT IDEAS ABOUT THE RUSSIAN HACKERS

…The FBI headquarters for one of the computer hacking opinions.

 

Why hasn’t the CIA offered up the proof of the Russian hacking?

 

So, what do we really know about the cyber hacking into the politic of the US elections?

 

Well, as expected, Donald Trump has called the CIA’s findings about Russian hacking “ridiculous” and he said he doesn’t believe it. “I think it’s just another excuse. I don’t believe it . . . No, I don’t believe it at all,” Trump said this of course on “Fox News Sunday” of the CIA assessment.

 

But President Obama has said the United States will retaliate against Russia over its malicious cyber activity regarding this year's election.

 

Of course, Russia has called the allegations “absolute nonsense,” and in a TV interview, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman denied that the Kremlin interfered with the US election and said Moscow is looking forward to a new relationship with the Trump administration.

 

Russia is now saying that if there is real “proof” that the hacking was done by Russia, why hasn’t the US offered up that proof?

 

The CIA is saying that to offer the real proof would also give away the secrets of how they were able to determine it was done by the Russians.

 

But so far, the president has not commented on last week's Washington Post report, that was later confirmed, that the CIA has concluded with high confidence that Russia intervened in the election specifically to help Donald Trump win the White House. Seventeen US intelligence agencies publicly announced last October that they had concluded the theft of emails.  The e-mails were from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign manager John Podesta, and were undertaken by hackers working for Russia.  “I think there is no doubt that when any foreign government tries to impact the integrity of our elections . . . we need to take action,” the president said. “And we will — at a time and place of our own choosing. Some of it may be explicit and publicized; some of it may not be.”

Speaking to “Morning Edition”, Obama said “There are still a whole range of assessments taking place among the agencies,” and he is waiting for the report on cyberattacks he has ordered to be delivered by Jan. 20.

 

“And so when I receive a final report, you know, we'll be able to, I think, give us a comprehensive and best guess as to those motivations,” Obama said. “But that does not in any way, I think, detract from the basic point that everyone during the election perceived accurately — that in fact what the Russian hack had done was create more problems for the Clinton campaign than it had for the Trump campaign.”

 

“There's no doubt that it contributed to an atmosphere in which the only focus for weeks at a time, months at a time were Hillary's emails, the Clinton Foundation, political gossip surrounding the DNC,” he added.

 

But not all of the US security agencies have come to the same conclusions.

 

The CIA and the FBI have differing opinions that some say can be attributed to their different cultures: The bureau seeks tangible evidence to prove something beyond all reasonable doubt, while the CIA is more comfortable drawing their conclusions from the hacker's behavior.  The FBI is not sold on the idea that Russia had a particular aim in its meddling. Those officials think the Kremlin may not have had a particular target at all or had a mix of goals.

 

The CIA has briefed the administration that it believes the Russians “breached” the RNC’s computer systems. Officials are less certain whether the hackers were able to extract information. However, the RNC denies it was even hacked.

 

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Monday that a Senate intelligence panel plans to investigate Russia’s suspected election interference.  The Obama administration has ordered a “full review” of the Russian hacking during the campaign. That investigation is headed by Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. The administration has promised to make the report public.  Obama wants the review to be completed before he leaves office next month.

 

Members of both parties have called for a public joint House & Senate inquiry leading to a public release of the findings.  The final report however, could pose a challenge to Donald Trump, putting him at odds with the intelligence community.

 

It looks like this issue may never be totally resolved.

 

Copyright G.Ater  2016