NEW YORK – Friday morning, NBC News released information about the intelligence report on alleged Russian hacking before President-elect Donald Trump was briefed on it.
The NBC story, entitled "Top Russians Celebrated When Trump Won, Intel Report Says: Source" says the Russians' glee reflected their alleged involvement in boosting Trump over Hillary Clinton.
Trump wasn't happy about NBC's pre-emption and let it be known via Twitter – asking a fair question Thursday evening:
Friday morning, the president-elect voiced more frustration, asking Republican leadership to look into who leaked the intelligence to NBC before he saw it:
NBC News said the report says Russian officials celebrated Trump's win, suggesting that Russia "intervened" in the election.
A senior U.S. intelligence official with direct knowledge confirmed to NBC News that the report on Russian hacking delivered to President Obama Thursday says that U.S. intelligence picked up senior Russian officials celebrating Donald Trump's win.
The source described the intelligence about the celebration, first reported by the Washington Post, as a minor part of the overall intelligence report, which makes the case that Russia intervened in the election.
"Highly classified intercepts illustrate Russian government planning and direction of a multifaceted campaign by Moscow to undermine the integrity of the American political system," said the official.
But less publicized in NBC's report is that the emphasized part of the intelligence report may not be what it appears:
The source also noted, however, that communication intercepts are viewed with caution because they are subject to interpretation.
The public report on the hacking will be released sometime Friday, a senior congressional staffer told NBC News.
