Trump Hints At "Russian Hacking" Revelations In Coming Days: "I Know Things Other People Don’t"
By Tyler Durden
During a brief, informal exchange with reporters on New Year’s Eve at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Donald Trump questioned the official version of the “Russians hacking the election”, saying it was possible “somebody else” compromised the Democratic campaign’s servers, adding that he will reveal some previously undisclosed facts in the coming days by hinting that “I also know things that other people don’t know, we they cannot be sure of the situation.”
Asked what that information included, the Republican President-elect said, “You will find out on Tuesday or Wednesday.” He did not elaborate.
Trump also reiterated his belief that others might be responsible for the cyberattacks: “I know a lot about hacking. And hacking is a very hard thing to prove. So it could be somebody else. And I also know things that other people don’t know, and so they cannot be sure of the situation.”
“I think it’s unfair if we don’t know. It could be somebody else,” Reuters cited Trump as telling the media.
He also added that computers are a risky form of communication. “It’s very important, if you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old fashioned way because I’ll tell you what, no computer is safe,” Mr. Trump added. “I don’t care what they say, no computer is safe. I have a boy who’s 10 years old, he can do anything with a computer. You want something to really go without detection, write it out and have it sent by courier.”
Trump was responding to questions about his position on the alleged Moscow-backed “hacking” of the Democratic National Committee that resulted in the emergence of leaks unfavorable to Hillary Clinton. While he has consistently shrugged off the accusations, which also claimed he was backed by Russia against Clinton, Trump on Thursday reacted to the new sanctions against Russia and the release of a report by the FBI and the DHS with a promise to attend intelligence briefings to be updated on the matter. Russia at first vowed to retaliate, but on Friday, President Vladimir Putin said his government wouldn’t expel U.S. diplomats in reprisal. That, in turn, prompted Trump to post on his Twitter account: “Great move on delay (by V. Putin). I always knew he was very smart!”
The President-elect said he wanted to press U.S. intelligence agencies to make sure they are correct in asserting that Russia was behind a cyberattack aimed at disrupting the 2016 presidential race, asserting that the US intelligence community has been wrong before. He made reference to a government assessment before the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 that the country’s former leader, Saddam Hussein, possessed weapons of mass destruction.
“And if you look at the weapons of mass destruction, that was a disaster and they were wrong,” Mr. Trump said, according to the press pool report. “And so I want them to be sure. I think it’s unfair if they don’t know.”
As we reported last week, the latest joint report by the …read more
Source: Trump Hints At "Russian Hacking" Revelations In Coming Days: "I Know Things Other People Don’t"
