The Note: Trump's Rift Over Russia with U.S. Intelligence

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January 4, 2017

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Trump's Rift Over Russia with U.S. Intelligence

Fugitive Assange Backs Trump in Questioning Russia's Hacking Role

President-elect Donald Trump revealed on Tuesday that his classified briefing on Russian political hacking is slated for Friday, while continuing to cast doubt on the U.S. intelligence agencies' investigation, suggesting that they don't have their ducks in a row, according to ABC's BRIAN ROSS and PAUL BLAKE. Joining Trump in casting doubt on the intelligence community, fugitive computer activist Julian Assange appeared in an interview on Fox News from his hideout at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. "The 'Intelligence' briefing on so-called 'Russian hacking' was delayed until Friday, perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!" the president-elect tweeted. Assange – whose WikiLeaks website is at the center of the hacking drama for its role in publishing thousands of embarrassing emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee – gave an interview to Fox News' Sean Hannity which aired on the network late on Tuesday. Asked by the Trump-aligned TV personality if he could confidently say that Russia was not the source of the stolen emails, Assange replied: "We can say – we have said repeatedly – over the last two months that our source is not the Russian government and it is not a state party." http://abcn.ws/2iNUqPS

Trump Casts Doubt On Intelligence Community Over 'So-Called' Russian Hacking

Donald Trump continues to remain indignant about claims that Russia is responsible for cyberassaults on the US, taking to Twitter Tuesday night to reiterate his skepticism. In a single tweet, Trump questioned the prevailing notion that Russia has been hacking US entities -- despite 17 U.S. intelligence agencies concluding that top Russian officials helped orchestrate cyberattacks against the Democratic National Committee and members of Hillary Clinton's campaign -- and he also seemed to question the validity of such agencies overall, ABC's DAVID CAPLAN reports. The president-elect tweeted, "The 'Intelligence' briefing on so-called 'Russian hacking' was delayed until Friday, perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!" While the basis of Trump's tweet is that the intelligence briefing was slated for Tuesday and bumped to Friday, a source familiar with the matter tells ABC News that the briefing had always been slated for Friday. http://abcn.ws/2iBzago

Today: Pence Vs. Obama on Capitol Hill

Vice President-elect Mike Pence returns to Capitol Hill today to meet with House and Senate Republicans to discuss the party's strategy for repealing and replacing Obamacare. "The president-elect has a very clear message for Capitol Hill, and that is, it's time to get to work," Pence told reporters Tuesday at Trump Tower in New York City. "And it's time to keep our word to the American people and make this country great again, make it prosperous again." Meanwhile, President Obama will huddle with the House and Senate Democratic caucuses, where he'll trumpet the progress made thanks to the Affordable Care Act, as well as the dangers posed by Congressional Republicans' stated strategy to repeal the law before proposing any replacement, ABC's BEN SIEGEL and JOHN PARKINSON report. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin said on MSNBC this morning that he won't attend the meeting with Obama. "In good conscience, I can't do it," he said. "We have the outgoing president coming up here today to talk to only Democrats. Only Democrats....I just think it's absolutely wrong." http://abcn.ws/2hQI50n

Analysis - ABC's RICK KLEIN

Careful what you wish for – and for what you can't see coming. Donald Trump appears to have bailed out House leadership on day one of the new Congress, convincing rank-and-file members to roll back an ill-timed gutting of the House ethics process. But how it went down should serve as a warning to anyone prepared to do business with – or against – Trump. His Tweets, though mild by Trump standard – it's still not clear that he opposes the ethics reforms, or just the timing – scrambled Capitol Hill, making a likely undoing of the changes inevitable. This time, Trump was working on the same side as House Republican leaders. But what about next time? Tweets twisting arms represent a new dynamic for lawmakers to adjust to. With vice-president-elect Mike Pence on the Hill Wednesday to strategize opposite President Obama, it may not be just Democrats who are nostalgic for those good old days.