White House not naming North Korea in hack

The White House on Thursday refused to confirm reports that North Korea is responsible for a massive cyberattack on Sony Pictures that contributed to its decision to cancel the theatrical release of “The Interview.”

White House press secretary Josh Earnest declined to weigh in on whether the White House thought Sony had done the correct thing by pulling the Seth Rogen and James Franco film, saying it should be the decision of the private company.

{mosads}But he did insist the U.S. “stands squarely on the side of artists and companies that want to express themselves, and we believe that that kind of artistic expression is worthy of expression and is not something that should be subjected to intimidation just because you happen to disagree with the views.”

On Wednesday, Sony announced it was canceling the Dec. 25 release of the film after a number of movie theaters said they would not show it. Someone claiming credit for the hack released a statement to news organizations warning of a Sept. 11-style attack against American moviegoers who went to see the film.

The White House said the hack was carried out by a “sophisticated actor” and is being treated as a “legitimate national security matter” by President Obama and top administration officials.

Earnest also said Thursday that members of the president’s national security team had convened throughout the week to consider “a range of responses that we believe at this point is appropriate.”

Pyongyang is a top suspect in the hack because “The Interview” is a comedy that depicts the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

“It’s fair to say that the investigation is progressing,” Earnest said. “This is something they’ve been looking into for quite some time, and I know that there is significant investigative resources that have been committed to this effort, and they’ve been making progress.”

Earnest also declined to detail what range of responses were being considered, and said he would not commit to “being entirely transparent about what that response is” because it was a sensitive intelligence matter.

The spokesman did call on lawmakers to take up long-stalled cybersecurity legislation and indicated the administration could consult with lawmakers as it crafted its response and conducted its investigation.

“This is not the kind of topic that should allow us to be divided along party lines,” he said. “This is something that has a clear impact on our economy and has a clear impact on our national security. And I would anticipate that Democrats and Republicans should be able to work together on this.”