The office overseeing all 17 US spy agencies has not embraced a CIA assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 presidential election to help Republican Donald Trump win the race.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has not endorsed the CIA’s findings because of a lack of conclusive evidence that Russia carried out cyber attacks to boost Trump’s chances against his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, three American officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
The hacked emails were a regular source of embarrassment to the Clinton campaign during the presidential race.
“ODNI is not arguing that the agency (CIA) is wrong, only that they can’t prove intent,” one of the officials said. “Of course they can’t, absent agents in on the decision-making in Moscow.”
The position of the top spy agency will give Trump fresh ammunition to dispute the CIA assessment, which he has called “ridiculous.”
The growing distrust between…