Donald Trump deems America the 'hacking capital of the world' while brushing off Russia scandal

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Three hours before President-elect Donald Trump was due to meet Friday with top U.S. intelligence officials about the Russian hacks during last year's presidential election, he slammed the entire scandal as "a political witch hunt" in a telephone interview with The New York Times.

The FBI and CIA have accused Russia of interfering in the U.S. election in a way that benefited Trump. Trump has dismissed their reports, citing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and blamed the intense scrutiny around his election on bitter rivals. "They got beaten very badly in the election. I won more counties in the election than Ronald Reagan," Trump told the Times. "They are very embarrassed about it. To some extent, it's a witch hunt. They just focus on this."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.