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| Donald Trump backs Julian Assange over Russia hacking claim | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| President-elect Donald Trump has backed Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in casting doubt on intelligence alleging Russian meddling in the US election. | |
| Mr Assange said Russia was not the source for the site's mass leak of emails from the Democratic Party. | |
| Mr Trump has now backed that view in a tweet. He wrote: "Assange... said Russians did not give him the info!" | |
| The president-elect has repeatedly refused to accept the conclusions of the US intelligence community. | |
| Several US agencies including the FBI and the CIA believe Russia directed hacks against the Democratic Party and the campaign of its presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. | |
| The information, released through Wikileaks and other outlets, was intended to help Mr Trump win the election, say the FBI and CIA. | |
| On Tuesday evening, Mr Trump said an intelligence briefing he was due to receive on the issue had been delayed. | |
| "Perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!" he wrote. | "Perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!" he wrote. |
| But US intelligence officials insisted there had been no delay in the briefing schedule. | But US intelligence officials insisted there had been no delay in the briefing schedule. |
| In an interview with Fox News, Mr Assange repeated his claim that Russia was not behind the leak. | |
| He also said a 14-year-old boy could have carried out one of the hacks, on the email account of John Podesta, a top aide of Mrs Clinton. | |
| In 2010, several leading Republican figures were calling for the Wikileaks founder to be imprisoned after his website published thousands of embarrassing diplomatic cables leaked by former Army Pvt Chelsea Manning. | |
| Mr Trump tweeted twice on Wednesday morning in support of what Mr Assange said on Fox News. | |
| In another development, Mr Trump's pick for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, has agreed he will cut all ties with Exxon Mobil and comply with conflict-of-interest requirements. | In another development, Mr Trump's pick for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, has agreed he will cut all ties with Exxon Mobil and comply with conflict-of-interest requirements. |
| Ethics row | Ethics row |
| Meanwhile, Republicans have ditched a plan to gut the independent body that investigates political misconduct after a backlash. | Meanwhile, Republicans have ditched a plan to gut the independent body that investigates political misconduct after a backlash. |
| The lawmakers' surprise vote to strip the Office of Congressional Ethics of its independence prompted public uproar and a dressing down from Mr Trump on Twitter. | The lawmakers' surprise vote to strip the Office of Congressional Ethics of its independence prompted public uproar and a dressing down from Mr Trump on Twitter. |
| The secretive move, which overshadowed the first day of the 115th Congress, was reversed in an emergency meeting. | The secretive move, which overshadowed the first day of the 115th Congress, was reversed in an emergency meeting. |
| The ethics body was set up in 2008 following a slew of scandals that resulted in several House lawmakers being jailed. | The ethics body was set up in 2008 following a slew of scandals that resulted in several House lawmakers being jailed. |
| Mr Trump made cleaning up corruption in Washington a key theme of his campaign. | Mr Trump made cleaning up corruption in Washington a key theme of his campaign. |
| Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan had argued unsuccessfully against the rule change, which was adopted on Monday night in a closed-door meeting. | Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan had argued unsuccessfully against the rule change, which was adopted on Monday night in a closed-door meeting. |
| As the news spread, internet searches for "who is my representative" rocketed, according to Google Trends, and constituents tried to call and email lawmakers to express their disgust. | |
| House Republicans called an emergency meeting and abruptly voted to undo the change. | House Republicans called an emergency meeting and abruptly voted to undo the change. |
| Mr Ryan - who was re-elected by fellow lawmakers on Tuesday as House Speaker - had urged his party to seek bipartisan support and to wait to push for the change later. | Mr Ryan - who was re-elected by fellow lawmakers on Tuesday as House Speaker - had urged his party to seek bipartisan support and to wait to push for the change later. |