By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
The Democratic National Committee wouldn’t allow federal agents to inspect computer servers that had been infiltrated by hackers during the presidential campaign, forcing the FBI to rely on third-party cyber security data, Bloomberg reports.
The news comes on the eve of President-elect Donald Trump meeting with U.S. intelligence chiefs to get briefed on Russia’s alleged involvement in the hack.
The intelligence agencies went on the defensive this week after Trump repeatedly expressed criticism that senior Russian officials were responsible for the hacking.
“The Democratic National Committee would not allow the FBI to study or see its computer info after it was supposedly hacked by Russia……” Trump said. “So how and why are they so sure about hacking if they never even requested an examination of the computer servers? What is going on?”
In a statement, the FBI confirmed Trumps claim.
“The FBI repeatedly stressed to DNC officials the necessity of obtaining direct access to servers and data, only to be rebuffed until well after the initial compromise had been mitigated,” the agency said. “This left the FBI no choice but to rely upon a third party for information. These actions caused significant delays and inhibited the FBI from addressing the intrusion earlier.”
