Trump Downplays Russia in First Comments on Cyberattack

Associated PressPublished: December 19, 2020

Win McNamee, Getty Images

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is suggesting without evidence that China — not Russia — may be behind the the grave cyberattack against the United States.

And he is trying to downplay the impact, as he comments for the first time on the breach. Trump's tweeted comments on Saturday contradict Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who says Russia was “pretty clearly” behind the attack.

It’s not clear exactly what the hackers were seeking, but experts say it could include nuclear secrets, blueprints for advanced weaponry, COVID-19 vaccine-related research and information for dossiers on government and industry leaders.

Russia has said it had “nothing to do” with the hacking.