Even before Donald Trump won the election, questions were raised over what his relationship was with Russia and President Vladimir Putin. In the weeks since the election, Trump has dismissed reports that have linked Russia to the hacking of the presidential election, which hasn't gone over well with some veterans journalists, including Dan Rather.
Rather on Trump
It didn't take long before Russia was tied to the hacking of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Despite Russia denying any wrongdoing, the CIA revealed the results of their secret investigation last month, and concluded that the Kremlin was not only behind the hack, but that their sole purpose was to help Donald Trump defeat Hillary Clinton.
Since then, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have doubled down on the CIA's findings, as has the White House. Even with the evidence presented, Trump refuses to accept that the election was impacted. The DNC emails were first released by Wikileaks, and founder Julian Assange is standing his ground that the Russians weren't the ones who were behind the hack. As seen on his offical Facebook page on January 4, former CBS News anchor Dan Rather is speaking out.
In regards to Donald Trump ignoring the evidence behind the Russian hacking, and his praising of Wikileaks in the process, Dan Rather is in complete shock. "Stunned disbelief. Anxiety. A mounting sense of betrayal," Rather wrote on his Facebook, while adding, "These are the smoke signals rising from those in and around the United States intelligence community over President-elect Donald Trump's dismissal of the evidence of Russian hacking in the presidential election."
Trump suggested, with no evidence, that officials delayed a briefing on Russian hacking to build their case https://t.co/twbg6Euizl
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 4, 2017
Dan Rather continued, ripping Donald Trump for taking the side of Wikileaks and Julian Assange "over the collective conclusion of those tasked with our national security." Not stopping there, Rather accused Assange of being a "full-fledged propagandist." Continuing, Rather called for a "a robust intelligence force," which he believes is needed now more than ever, while labeling Trump's denial as "a matter of national security."
Rather conclusion
"Heaven forbid we suffer another horrible attack.
Heaven forbid our intelligence community was hollowed out, wasn't listened to or respected," the veteran journalist stated, concluding, "These are the stakes." Dan Rather's comments are similar to what many are echoing as there are less than three weeks left until the former host of "The Apprentice" makes his way into the White House.
Despite Trump's recent comments, not all Republicans are on his side. In Congress, a bipartisan effort is growing to further investigate the reported Russian hacking, which includes top Republicans in the Senate, including Sen. John McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham.
