Trump Press Secretary Truth Twisting: ‘He Has Not Been Briefed by Heads of Intelligence Community’ on Russian Hacking

Trump Administration May Not Support Obama’s Sanctions Against Russia

Newly-promoted Donald Trump press secretary Sean Spicer says the president-elect is awaiting the final results of a national intelligence report and is awaiting to be briefed by the heads of the national intelligence agencies before deciding whether or not he believes the Russians have been engaging in hacking in the U.S. and intervened in the election. 

First, it’s incredible that Trump is waiting to be briefed when he could easily ask any top national security official in the Obama administration to explain to him what Russia has been doing – but he’d rather party at Mar-a-Lago and take in nearly a half-million on New Year’s Eve in a blatant pay-to-play event than deal with Russia.

But second, listen to how Spicer parses his words when speaking with CNN Monday morning.

Donald Trump, Spicer tells Alisyn Camerota, “has not been briefed by the heads of the intelligence community yet” on the Russian hacking.

That would be a lie had Spicer not inserted the word “heads,” because Trump has been briefed by the intelligence community on the Russian hacking operation.

Since at least August Donald Trump has known about Russia’s hacking the election because those who briefed him told reporters they did. 

In October, NBC News reported Trump has known about Russia hacking since August:

“A senior U.S. intelligence official assured NBC News that cybersecurity and the Russian government’s attempts to interfere in the 2016 election have been briefed to, and discussed extensively with, both parties’ candidates, surrogates and leadership, since mid-August,” NBC News reported.

“To profess not to know at this point is willful misrepresentation,” the senior intelligence official told NBC News. “The intelligence community has walked a very thin line in not taking sides, but both candidates have all the information they need to be crystal clear.”

But a senior U.S. intelligence official is not “the heads of the intelligence community,” so Trump apparently is off the hook?

Spicer also admitted that Trump’s claim last week, that he will on “Tuesday or Wednesday” reveal previously-unknown information on the hacking is false. “I also know things that other people don’t know, and so they cannot be sure of the situation,” Trump said Saturday evening.

Spicer admitted it’s “not a question of necessarily revealing” what he knows that others, including all 17 U.S. intelligence agencies, do not. He also revealed the Trump administration may not support Obama’s sanctions against Russia.

For months Donald Trump and his administration have been pushing back the conclusions of the U.S. Intelligence community, which is now in unanimous agreement that the Russians hacked the election, and effectively, to help Trump.

Spicer also threw up roadblocks by stating the report from the intelligence community is not finalized, therefore, its entire contents should not be considered until it has been – another ludicrous attempt to dismiss the intelligence community’s conclusions and work toward changing public opinion to sow doubt about Russia’s attack on America.

To suggest that Donald Trump or any other U.S. president should wait until they have 100% of the evidence in hand before making decisions is also ludicrous. That’s not how anyone makes decisions, nor should it be. 

The intelligence community has known what Russia has been doing for months. It’s time for Trump and his team to get on board.