The Strange Case of "Intelligence Briefing" for Donald trump

Donald Trump has announced that he will meet intelligence officials on Friday to be briefed over alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

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Telegraph - The president-elect repeated his scepticism that the Kremlin had hacked Democratic Party computers last year, writing that it was "very strange" that his intelligence briefing had apparently been delayed.

The "Intelligence" briefing on so-called "Russian hacking" was delayed until Friday, perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2017

Mr Trump's claim that the meeting had been delayed was immediately disputed. A US official told Associated Press there had been no delay and that the intelligence community was confused by Mr Trump's tweet.

The Republican has clashed repeatedly with the intelligence community as he prepares to take office on January 20.

Mr Trump's spokesman, Sean Spicer, said on Monday that there was "zero evidence that [Russia] influenced the election".

He told Fox News that Mr Trump was getting national security briefings "on a daily basis" and "there doesn't seem to be conclusive evidence" Russians were behind the hacking of Democratic emails during the election.

President Barack Obama expelled 35 Russian suspected spies and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies last week over the alleged Russian hacking.

Intelligence officials have said the Kremlin aimed to help Mr Trump defeat Hillary Clinton in November's presidential election.

Mr Trump said on Saturday, at his New Year's Eve party, that he knew "things that other people don't know" about the alleged Russian cyber attacks.

He said it was "unfair" of the United States to accuse Russia of hacking if there was any doubt.

"And I know a lot about hacking. And hacking is a very hard thing to prove. So it could be somebody else. And I also know things that other people don't know, and so they cannot be sure of the situation," he said.

When asked to clarify his remarks, the president-elect said: "You'll find out on Tuesday or Wednesday."

Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Trump announced he would be holding a a press conference in New York on January 11.

It will be his first since July as the Republican has preferred to communicate via rallies, press interviews and Twitter.

Past president-elects have traditionally held press conferences to brief on their cabinet picks and policy plans for the incoming administration.