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1 Jan, 2017 03:58

Trump questions claim of Russia hacking DNC, says he ‘knows things other people don’t’

Trump questions claim of Russia hacking DNC, says he ‘knows things other people don’t’

US President-elect Donald Trump said it was possible “somebody else” compromised the Democratic campaign’s servers as he spoke to reporters on New Year’s Eve, adding that he will reveal some previously undisclosed facts in the coming days.

READ MORE: Rick Santorum ‘unconvinced’ Russia behind alleged election hacking

“I think it’s unfair if we don’t know. It could be somebody else,” Reuters cited Trump as telling media at his Mar-a-Lago estate as he referred to the pinning of the blame for the alleged hacks on Russia.

“I also know things that other people don’t know, so we cannot be sure,” Trump added. “You will find out on Tuesday or Wednesday.”

He also reiterated his willingness to have “great relations” with other countries, including Russia and China.

Trump was apparently asked 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 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with a promise to attend intelligence briefings to be updated on the matter.

Trump also said then that the US needs to “move on to bigger and better things.”

READ MORE: ‘Russian hackers’ penetrate US power grid with ‘outdated Ukrainian malware’

The latest report by the FBI and the DHS did not reveal any convincing evidence of the Russian government being behind the alleged hacks, and came with a disclaimer, saying the DHS “does not provide any warranties of any kind regarding any information contained within.”

READ MORE: Report on ‘Russian hacking’ offers disclaimers, barely mentions Russia

On Saturday, Trump was also asked about the possibility that he may meet with the Taiwanese president if she was to visit the US after his January 20 inauguration. The issue of Trump talking with Tsai Ing-wen appeared shortly after the two had a phone conversation following Trump’s election victory. The conversation appeared to contradict Beijing’s “One China” policy, meaning that Taiwan should be considered part of China, which the US has upheld for decades.

“We’ll see,” Trump said about meeting Tsai Ing-wen, without elaborating, leading US media to conclude he was leaving a door open to such a possibility.

Trump’s conversation with Taiwan’s leader was rebuked by Beijing and drew some criticism at home, while the president-elect said he was simply accepting a congratulatory call.

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