Sean Spicer walks through the lobby at Trump Tower in New
York City. (Drew Angerer/GettyImages)Sean Spicer, soon to be White House press secretary and spokesman for President-elect Donald Trump, said on 2 January that there is no evidence to suggest Russian hacking influenced the outcome of the United States presidential election of 2016. He added that it would be irresponsible to jump to conclusions before receiving a final intelligence report, reported Reuters.
“There is zero evidence that they influenced the election,” Spicer told Fox News. The outgoing President Barack Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats, suspecting them of being spies, and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies last week for alleged Kremlin involvement during the election.
Leading lawmakers from both parties have raised alarms at the suggestion of Russian interference. Republican John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has scheduled a hearing Thursday (5 January) on foreign cyber threats. The president-elect has repeatedly played down the hacking affair. It is well-known that Trump wants to have a better relationship with Moscow.
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