The declassified version of the report declares outright that Putin "ordered an influence campaign" in the election "to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency."
"We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump," the report concludes.
Graham told NBC news before Trump's statement that said it would "shake me to my core" about Trump's judgment if he refused to accept the findings.
"I hope you will embrace the intelligence, you will join the Republicans and Democrats to push back against Russia to make sure this stops and doesn't happen again. If after the briefing he is still unsure, that will shake me to my core about his judgment," he said in the interview, which aired Sunday.
Graham also said that if Trump continues to doubt the investigation, "it's incumbent upon him to make the case as to why [the intelligence findings] are wrong."
"I think he needs to come before the American people and be specific as to why he does not believe what most of us believe," he said.
Both Graham and McCain warned of grave consequences if the United States doesn't take the threat posed by Russia seriously.
"It isn't just elections that they are hacking into. It is across the board, including military secrets that we have, including the ability to shut down satellites, including the ability to shut down power plants," McCain said. "I mean, they can do grave danger to the United States of America."
And Graham warned that "if our policies don't change vis a vis Russia, the worst is yet to come." |
