White House suggests Putin was involved in US hacking

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

The Obama administration suggested Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally authorized the hacking of Democratic officials’ email accounts in the run-up to the presidential election and said it was “fact” that such actions helped Donald Trump’s campaign. The White House also assailed Trump himself, saying he must have known of Russia’s interference.

No proof was offered for any of the accusations, the latest to unsettle America’s uneasy transition from eight years under Democratic President Barack Obama to a new Republican administration led by Trump. The claims of Russian meddling in the election also have heightened already debilitating tensions between Washington and Moscow over Syria, Ukraine and other disagreements.

“Only Russia’s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said,

Obama’s deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, connected the dots further, saying it was Putin who was responsible for the Russian government’s actions.

The Kremlin rejected the claim of Putin’s involvement.

Obama told NPR News the U.S. will respond at a “time and place of our choosing.”