Friday afternoon, President-elect Donald Trump met with the leadership of the various entities of the nation’s intelligence community to receive a classified briefing about alleged state-sponsored hacking by Russia and its impact on the 2016 election.
Following the conclusion of that meeting, Trump issued the following statement:
I had a constructive meeting and conversation with the leaders of the intelligence community this afternoon. I have tremendous respect for the work and service done by the men and women of this community to our great nation.
While Russia, China, other countries, outside groups and people are consistently trying to break through the cyber infrastructure of our governmental institutions, businesses and organizations, including the Democrat National Committee, there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election, including the fact that there was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines. There were attempts to hack the Republican National Committee, but the RNC had strong hacking defenses, and the hackers were unsuccessful.
Whether it is our government, organizations, associations or businesses, we need to aggressively combat and stop cyberattacks. I will appoint a team to give me a plan within 90 days of taking office. The methods, tools and tactics we use to keep America safe should not be a public discussion that will benefit those who seek to do us harm. Two weeks from today, I will take the oath of office, and America’s safety and security will be my No. 1 priority.” {eoa}
