Trump's criticism of Russia hacking claim could haunt him

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump is underscoring his doubts about the conclusion by U.S. intelligence that Russia sought through hacking to disrupt this year's election, renewing his skepticism Monday as he pits his judgment against the $52.7 billion espionage and analytical apparatus he's about to inherit.

The focus of reporting by leading news organizations, the issue has been in the headlines since at least June — after hackers broke into computers at the Democratic National Committee, after WikiLeaks began publishing Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman's hacked emails in October and after the Obama administration publicly blamed Russia's government, also in October.

Openly questioning the U.S. intelligence assessment about what could be a historically important hacking will make it harder for him to persuade the public the next time the government looks to place blame for a cyberattack.

Trump, who is rarely seen using a computer and has said he never personally uses email, has proposed a buildup of U.S. military offensive and defensive cyber capabilities that he said will deter foreign hackers.

Ideally, a president concludes that the need to protect sensitive sources and methods outweighs the need to silence skeptics, said James Lewis, a senior vice president and program director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The U.S. has not imposed sanctions on the Russians for the election-related hacks and, in other instances, has opted against public accusations, including following a disastrous Office of Personnel Management hack widely suspected to be the work of the Chinese.