Donald Trump says he does not trust computers, remains sceptical Russia was behind hacking
Updated
US President-elect Donald Trump says "no computer is safe" in keeping information private but expressed continued scepticism over whether Russia was responsible for computer hacks of Democratic Party officials.
Key points:
- Mr Trump says important information should be written out and delivered by courier
- He again cast aside allegations Russia tried to influence election through hacking
- Mr Trump says "we'll see" on possibility of meeting with Taiwan President
President Barack Obama earlier this week ordered sanctions on Russian spy agencies, closed two Russian compounds and expelled 35 diplomats the US said were really spies — but the Russian Government has denied the allegations.
Mr Trump, who rarely uses email or computers despite his frequent tweeting, has repeatedly cast aside allegations by US intelligence agencies that Russia tried to influence the presidential election through hacking.
"If you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way," Mr Trump told reporters during his annual New Year's Eve bash his Mar-a-Lago club.
"No computer is safe. I don't care what they say."
The incoming president, who has said that he plans to meet with intelligence officials next to week to learn more about the allegations, said he wanted US officials "to be sure because it's a pretty serious charge".
He pointed to intelligence failures over the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before the US invasion, and said he knows "a lot about hacking".
"Hacking is a very hard thing to prove, so it could be somebody else," he said, adding that he also knows "things that other people don't know, and so they cannot be sure of the situation".
Asked what that information included, the Republican President-elect said, without elaborating: "You will find out on Tuesday or Wednesday."
Trump leaves open possible Taiwan meeting
Mr Trump also left open the possibility of meeting with Taiwan's President if she visits the United States after he is sworn in on January 20.
When pressed on whether he would meet Tsai Ing-wen, who will be in transit in Houston on January 7 and again in San Francisco on January 13, if she were to be in the United States at any point after he becomes president, Mr Trump said: "We'll see."
Mr Trump, citing protocol, said he would not meet with any foreign leaders while President Barack Obama was still in office.
China is deeply suspicious of Ms Tsai — whom it thinks wants to push for the formal independence of Taiwan — a self-governing island that Beijing regards as a renegade province.
Beijing bristled when Mr Trump, shortly after his November 8 victory, accepted a congratulatory telephone call from the Taiwan leader and has warned against steps that would upset the "one-China" policy that China and the US have maintained for decades.
Talk of a stop-over in the US by the Taiwan President has further rattled Washington-Beijing relations.
But Mr Trump tried to end the year on a positive note, despite questions about the future of US-Russia relations because of escalating tensions between Mr Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as Mr Trump's promise to crack down on China's trade practices, which he says unfairly target American workers.
"Hopefully we're going to have great relationships with many countries and that includes Russia and that includes China," Mr Trump said.
As he wrapped up a four-minute informal chat with reporters, Mr Trump also was asked what his New Year's resolution was.
"Make America great again," he said.
AP/Reuters
Topics: us-elections, government-and-politics, foreign-affairs, united-states
First posted
