Published 15:24 IST, December 20th 2020
Donald Trump downplays cyberattack, says 'Fake News' calling it bigger than it is
Donald Trump said he has been fully briefed about the cyber hack, claiming that the situation is well under control. Trump also downplayed Russia's role.
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US President Donald Trump has downplayed the span of cyberattacks on federal agencies and private companies, accusing the "fake news" media of portraying it as much bigger than it actually is. The Republican leader said he has been fully briefed about the attack, claiming that the situation is well under control. However, experts have described the attack as one of the "worst-ever" in the history of the United States and have indicated Russia's role.
The Cyber Hack is far greater in the Fake News Media than in actuality. I have been fully briefed and everything is well under control. Russia, Russia, Russia is the priority chant when anything happens because Lamestream is, for mostly financial reasons, petrified of....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2020
....discussing the possibility that it may be China (it may!). There could also have been a hit on our ridiculous voting machines during the election, which is now obvious that I won big, making it an even more corrupted embarrassment for the USA. @DNI_Ratcliffe @SecPompeo
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2020
But, Donald Trump directed his attack towards China, saying that the "Lamestream" media, as usual, is jumping the gun to blame Russia when Beijing could well be behind the hack. Meanwhile, Trump's own Foreign Secretary Mike Pompeo has hinted at Russia's involvement in the cyberattack, saying it is "pretty clear" now that Russians engaged in the activity.
As many as 12 federal agencies of the United States, including the Department of Defence and the national nuclear weapons agency, were breached in the hacks, which allegedly lasted for months but was only identified last week. The attacks came to the notice of intelligence officials after being discovered by a cybersecurity company called FireEye. The hackers managed to insert malware into software updates that were reportedly being sent to the US government as well as its partners in the private sectors through SolarWinds Corp.
Renews election fraud claim
Trump also went on to claim that US voting machines could also have been hit during the attack, falsely claiming that it proves he won the recently-concluded election against Joe Biden. His claim has been marked by Twitter, which put a disclaimer underneath saying Joe Biden has been certified by the election officials as the winner of the US Presidential Election. Trump is refusing to concede defeat to Joe Biden and has been falsely claiming "election fraud" and "irregularities" on part of election officials as the reason behind his loss but has failed to provide any evidence to prove his unfounded claims.
15:24 IST, December 20th 2020