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Associated Press

His inauguration less than three weeks away, US president-elect Donald Trump is raising new doubts about the nation’s intelligence community, tweeting fresh criticism at the same people who will help inform his most sensitive decisions once he takes office.
Trump charged Tuesday on Twitter, without evidence, that the timing of an upcoming intelligence briefing on suspected Russian interference in the 2016 election had been delayed.
“Perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!” he wrote, using quote marks around the word “intelligence”.
Trump’s tweet, in line with repeated criticism of his nation’s intelligence leaders, caused confusion among intelligence officials, who said there was no delay in the briefing schedule.

The "Intelligence" briefing on so-called "Russian hacking" was delayed until Friday, perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2017

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US President Barack Obama last week moved to sanction top Russian intelligence officials over the hack. The Obama administration also expelled 35 Russian intelligence operatives from the country, and restricted access to two Russian diplomatic compounds.
Trump has repeatedly expressed scepticism at the conclusion of intelligence agencies that Russia was behind the hacking and release of e-mails in an effort to damage his campaign opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton. He has pledged to improve relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose government has denied it was behind the hacking, and praised the Russian leader for not retaliating after the Obama administration penalised Russian officials.
“I just want them to be sure, because it’s a pretty serious charge,” Trump told reporters on Saturday as he arrived at a New Year’s Eve celebration at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.
“When you look at the weapons of mass destruction - that was a disaster and they were wrong, and so I want them to be sure. I think it’s unfair if they don’t know. I know a lot about hacking, and hacking is a very hard thing to prove. It could be somebody else.”

Asked what he knew that others might not, Trump said, “You’ll find out Tuesday or Wednesday.”
NBC News, quoting an unidentified senior intelligence official, said the briefing Trump alluded to had always been planned for Friday.
Top Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Paul Ryan have welcomed the sanctions and warned that Russia poses a threat to national security. Trump’s comments have riled critics, who say the president-elect is too quick to discount US intelligence.
Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said that Trump needs to make peace with US intelligence agencies.

“He needs to stop denigrating the intelligence community. He’s going to rely on them. He’s going to have to rely on them,” Schiff said.
“This is the overwhelming judgment of the intelligence community and, frankly, all of the members of the intelligence committees in Congress, Democrats and Republicans.”
Trump’s tweets questioning the US intelligence community’s handling of the Russian cyberattack investigation prompted a warning from a CNN commentator.
Vladimir Putin won 2016 but limits of Russian power may cut his victory lap short
Timothy Naftali, a presidential historian for the network, said the president-elect should not try to cast doubt on the nation’s top spy agencies.
“It’s a bad idea,” Naftali said, “the intelligence community has information about him that I’m sure he would like not to be released.”
Naftali stopped short of implying there’s a big secret about the incoming president, but said “it doesn’t make sense for Trump to be making adversaries in the intelligence community ... a community that serves presidents regardless of party.”
He suggested Trump should “stay silent” about the Russian hacking investigation.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg and Tribune News Service

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Donald Trump

Sarcastic Trump taunts US spy agencies, as he continues to doubt intelligence on Russian hacking

US president-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump has seemingly sided with Putin in the latter’s denial of Russian hacking of the US election, in contradiction of the findings of US intelligence agencies. Photo: AFP

FILE - In this April 13, 2016, file photo, President Barack Obama speaks at the CIA Headquarters in Langley, Va. Obama's foreign policy legacy may be defined as much by what he didn't do as what he did. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

CORRECTION - Killenworth, an estate built in 1913 for George du Pont Pratt and purchased by the former Soviet Union in 1951, is seen in Glen Cove, New York, on December 30, 2016. Killenworth is one of two Russian compounds in Glen Cove with Norwich House, nearby, being closed to Russian officials as part of the sanctions ordered by US President Barack Obama in retaliation for suspected Russian hacking during the US elections. / AFP PHOTO / Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / “The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [---] instead of [---]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any contin