Us or Them: White House Pushes Trump to Take Sides on Election Meddling Issue

President-elect Donald Trump must decide whether he agrees with the US Intelligence Community or the Russian government on the issue of Russian interference in the 2016 US election, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The incoming Trump administration "is going to have to decide which side they’re going to come down on," Earnest stated.

"On one side you have the men and women of the United States Intelligence Community, you’ve got… Congress, who [is] concerned deeply about the way the Russian apparatus sought to call into question the legitimacy and stability of our democracy," Earnest stated. "On the other side, you’ve got WikiLeaks and the Russians."

Last week, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a report stating it and other US intelligence agencies had a high degree of confidence that Russia meddled in the US election.

The US Senate Intelligence Committee announced last week it would conduct an assessment of the reporting behind the US Intelligence Community's report on Russia's alleged involvement in the 2016 US presidential election.

Russian officials have repeatedly denied the allegations, characterizing them as absurd and intended to deflect public opinion from revealed instances of corruption and other pressing domestic concerns. Moreover, Moscow has also said Russia has no desire to interfere in US elections.

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