Trump won’t say Russia is behind hacks

Donald Trump at Wednesday’s debate refused to say that Russia was behind data breaches at Democratic political organizations.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton raised the issue, asking if her GOP rival would “admit and condemn that the Russians are doing this” and make it clear he does not have Russian President Vladimir Putin’s help in the campaign.

“That was a great pivot from the fact she wants open borders,” Trump joked.

He did not directly address the hacking allegations until Clinton brought it up again, this time referencing a formal attribution stating Russia was behind the attack by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), which heads 17 intelligence agencies. 

“We have 17 intelligence agencies, civilian and military that have all concluded that these espionage attacks — these cyber attacks — come from the highest levels of the Kremlin and are designed to influence our election, and I find it deeply disturbing, and I think—” Clinton said.

“She has no idea whether it was Russia, China or anybody else,” Trump interrupted.

“I am not quoting myself. I am quoting 17 — do you doubt that 17 military and civilian agencies—” Clinton said as Trump continued talking. 

“Our country has no idea,” said Trump, “Yeah, I doubt it, I doubt it.”

Trump was reportedly informed of the intelligence agencies’ opinion before the first debate, when the Republican candidate questioned whether anyone could know who was behind the attacks. 

“I don’t think anybody knows it was Russia that hacked into the DNC [Democratic National Committee]. She’s saying Russia, Russia, Russia, but I don’t know. Maybe it was. It could be Russia, but it could also be China. It could also be lots of other people. It could also be someone sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds.”

In the second debate, he expressed a theory he had forwarded since the first debate, that the hack may have been a false flag operation and the attribution of Russia was intended to smear Trump. 

“Maybe there is no hacking. And the reason they blame Russia is that they are trying to tarnish me with Russia.”

Meanwhile, Trump advisers, including Gen. Michael Flynn, and Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, have all named Russia as the likely culprit. 

At the third debate, Clinton painted the hacks as a mechanism for Putin to promote Trump, which Trump denied. 

“I don’t know Putin. He said nice things about me. If we got along well, that would be good,” he said while Clinton smirked.  

Though neither the DNI nor DHS has released information gathered as a part of the investigation, internet security companies that have looked at the data have tied technical aspects of the attacks to previous attacks attributed to Russia. That includes those attributed to Russia by German intelligence officers investigating a hack of that nation’s parliament. 

Private companies found technical details that pointed to Russia ranging from the addresses of command and control services and email addresses used to set up websites used in cyberattacks.