US to Push Back at Foreign Interference in Election - Ambassasdor to UN Nominee

The United States should send a strong message it will not tolerate foreign interference in its elections and will respond appropriately to every such attempt, the US Ambassador to the United Nations nominee Nikki Haley told the US Senate on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Asked what her message would be in reference to alleged Russian interference in eth 2016 US election, Haley said, "That we are aware it has happened, that we don't find it acceptable and we are going to fight back every single time."

Haley added, "I think Russia will not be the only one."

The nominee also noted he opinion the United States should never apologize for holding and promoting American values.

However, Haley noted it is important to know where countries stand when the United States negotiates with them.

The US Intelligence Community report claimed that Russia launched an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at undermining public faith in the US democratic process and creating a preference for President-elect Donald Trump.

Russia has repeatedly denied the US allegations calling them absurd and characterizing them as an attempt to divert public opinion from revelations of corruption as well as other pressing domestic issues.

After receiving an intelligence briefing on the US Intelligence Community's report, Trump said the election outcome had not been affected. US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan also suggested that the assessment should not be used by partisans to delegitimize Trump's presidency.