The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee has said “every American should be alarmed” by Russian interference in the US election.
“This committee meets today for the first time… in the aftermath of an unprecedented attack on our democracy,'” said Senator John McCain.
Intelligence agencies say the Kremlin ordered the hack of Democratic emails.
Russia has denied involvement but the US has announced sanctions against Russian officials.
Top US intelligence officials are giving testimony to the Senate committee investigating the alleged interference.
In their assessment, Moscow interfered to help Republican Donald Trump win against Democrat Hillary Clinton.
A report on foreign meddling in US elections was given to President Barack Obama on Thursday.
President-elect Mr Trump is to be briefed on the report on Friday and an unclassified version will be made public next week.
In joint testimony prepared for the hearing, officials said Russia had an advanced cyber programme that posed a major threat to a wide range of US interests.
“Russia is a full-scope cyber actor that poses a major threat to US government, military, diplomatic, commercial and critical infrastructure,” the testimony said.
It was written by James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, Marcel Lettre, Undersecretary of Defense for intelligence, and Admiral Michael Rogers, director of the National Security Agency.
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Senator McCain, in opening the session, reminded the panel that they were not there to “question the outcome of the presidential election”.
“We cannot say they did not change any vote tallies or anything of that sort,” Mr Clapper said about the Russian intelligence operation.
“We have no way of gauging the impact… that it had on the choices the electorate made. ”
Asked by Senator McCain about whether it was “an act of war” Mr Clapper expressed his view that “that is a very heavy policy call that I don’t think the intelligence community should make”.
Mr Trump has repeatedly rejected allegations that the Russian government hacked into the computers of John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager, and the servers of the Democratic National Committee.
On Thursday, he said he was a “big fan” of intelligence agencies, after months of casting doubt on the Russian link.
Last week he said he would announce information about hacking “on Tuesday or Wednesday”, however no announcement came.
The Department of Homeland Security in late December released a declassified report to bolster accusations that the Russian government deliberately sought to aid the New York real estate mogul’s candidacy.
The Obama administration also expelled 35 Russian diplomats from the US and closed two compounds said to be used by Russian intelligence.
President Obama will also get a classified briefing into the alleged hack and any other foreign interference into the election.

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The American public could get a better idea of the strength of the evidence on the alleged hacking as the Senate Armed Services Committee holds a hearing led by strong Russia critic John McCain, who on Wednesday called Moscow’s actions to subvert the US presidential vote an “act of war. “
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers are due to testify amid a heated rift between Trump and the intelligence bodies he will rely upon for crucial advice when he become president on January 20.
In tweets this week, Trump ridiculed the CIA and FBI conclusions, which are supported by outgoing President Barack Obama, that hackers working at the bidding of the Russian government stole embarrassing Democratic Party documents from the party’s computers and leaked the via WikiLeaks to undermine the presidential campaign of Trump rival Hillary Clinton.
Referring to a planned presentation to him by intelligence chiefs, Trump tweeted: “The ‘Intelligence’ briefing on so-called ‘Russian hacking’ was delayed until Friday, perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange! “
He then added to the insult by citing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in his dismissal of the findings of multiple US agencies that Russia was behind the hacking.
“Julian Assange said ‘a 14 year old could have hacked Podesta’ – why was DNC so careless? ” Trump said, referring to the thousands of emails and documents robbed from the computers of the Democratic National Committee and from Clinton campaign chief John Podesta.
Trump’s taunts have boosted pressure on the White House, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Director of National Intelligence to back up their claims last month that the Russian government was behind the hacking, intentionally divulging the documents via WikiLeaks to disrupt the election and help Trump.
The intelligence chiefs and Obama have pointed the finger at Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying no such operation could go on in Moscow without the highest level of approval.
On December 29, Obama retaliated, expelling 35 Russian “intelligence operatives,” placing sanctions on Russian government officials and intelligence services, and alleged hackers.
But the evidence made public by the agencies remains thin, allowing Trump, who has made clear he wants to improve fraught relations with Russia, to mount a challenge to the US intelligence establishment.
The Wall Street Journal reported late Wednesday that Trump is already working on a plan to restructure the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which Trump believes “has become bloated and politicized,” the Journal reported, citing people official with the planning.
The plan could also include revamping the CIA, cutting back its headquarters staff while boosting deployment of agents in the field, the Journal said.
Trump will be briefed Friday by the heads of the CIA, FBI and DNI on the evidence behind their conclusion on Russia election interference. And a declassified version of a White House report on the case is expected to be released next week.
But he meanwhile rankled officials in both political parties and angered the intelligence community by his choice of Assange as a reference for his views.
“He leaks, he steals data, and compromises national security. “
Democratic Senator Mark Warner said Trump showed “frankly flabbergasting” disrespect for the intelligence officials.
“I think the most important thing the intelligence community can always do is speak truth to power,” he told MSNBC.
“And it seems like perhaps the president-elect doesn’t want to hear those truths. “

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The nation’s top intelligence official said Thursday Russia undoubtedly interfered in America’s 2016 presidential election but stopped short of the explosive description of “an act of war,” telling lawmakers such a call isn’t within the purview of the U. S. intelligence community.
In a joint report that roiled the presidential campaign last fall, the Homeland Security Department and the intelligence community said the U. S. was confident of foreign meddling, including Russian government hacking of Democratic emails.
In its assessment, the intelligence community has said Moscow interfered in the election to help Republican Donald Trump win.
“We stand actually more resolutely on the strength of that statement than we did on the 7th of October,” James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, told the Armed Services Committee.
Pressed by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., on whether the actions constituted an “act of war,” Clapper said that was “a very heavy policy call” more appropriate for other entities in the government to decide.
Clapper and other U. S. intelligence said President Barack Obama has received a report on the Russian interference and other foreign meddling in the U. S. election. They said Russia poses a major and growing threat to U. S. government, military, diplomatic and commercial operations.
Clapper said lawmakers will be briefed on the Russian hacking report next week and an unclassified version is tentatively scheduled to be released shortly after that.
Clapper declined to discuss Russia’s meddling beyond earlier statements. But he said Russia’s hacking “did not change any vote tallies. ”
McCain of Arizona, the Republican chairman of the committee, said “every American should be alarmed” by Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election. There is “no escaping the fact that this committee meets today for the first time in this new Congress in the aftermath of an unprecedented attack on our democracy,” McCain said.
The hearing comes a day before the president-elect receives a briefing by the CIA and FBI directors — along with the head of national intelligence — on the investigation into Russia’s alleged hacking efforts.
Trump has criticized their findings and even seemed to back WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s contention that Russia did not provide him with hacked Democratic emails.
In new tweets early Thursday, Trump backed away from his apparent embrace of Assange. Trump blamed the “dishonest media” for portraying him as agreeing with Assange, whose organization has been under criminal investigation for its role in classified information leaks.
“The media lies to make it look like I am against ‘Intelligence’ when in fact I am a big fan! ” Trump wrote.
Clapper told the committee Assange has no credibility.
The committee’s session is the first in a series aimed at investigating purported Russian cyberattacks against U. S. interests and developing defenses sturdy enough to blunt future intrusions.
Appearing before the committee were Clapper; Marcel Lettre, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence; and Adm. Michael Rogers, National Security Agency chief and the top officer at the U. S. Cyber Command.
President Barack Obama struck back at Moscow in late December with penalties aimed at Russia’s leading spy agencies, the GRU and FSB, that the U. S. said were involved. The GRU is Russia’s military intelligence agency. The FSB is the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB.
But Trump easily could rescind the sanctions. So far, he has publicly refused to accept the conclusion that Russia is responsible for the attacks. Trump this week escalated his criticism of U. S. intelligence professionals, such as Clapper, by tweeting, without evidence, that an upcoming briefing on the suspected Russian hacking had been delayed until Friday, and said, “perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange! ”
Intelligence officials said there had been no delay.
Trump suggested Wednesday in a tweet that one of Russia’s primary targets, the Democratic National Committee, could be to blame for being “so careless. ”
The penalties imposed by Obama came after he pledged a “proportional” response to the hacking of the Democratic Party and presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman. Emails stolen during the campaign were released in the final weeks by WikiLeaks.
CIA Director John Brennan said in a Dec. 16 message to employees that the FBI agreed with the agency’s conclusion that Russia’s goal was to support Trump in the election. Brennan wrote that he also had spoken with Clapper and said “there is strong consensus among us on the scope, nature, and intent of Russian interference in our presidential election. ”
Moscow has denied the hacking allegations and dismissed Obama’s sanctions as an attempt to “harm Russian-American ties. ” Although Russian President Vladimir Putin rebuked the Obama administration for trying to punish Russia, he said his country would not immediately retaliate and would instead wait for a new U. S. approach after Trump takes office.

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Last Updated Jan 4, 2017 1:12 PM EST
President-elect Donald Trump plans to issue executive orders related to Obamacare as soon as he takes office, Vice President-elect Mike Pence told House Republicans on Wednesday morning.
Pence conveyed that message in a closed-door meeting during a visit to Capitol Hill and spoke about it at a press conference afterward, but he didn’t elaborate on what that would entail, since it will be up to the Republican-controlled Congress to dismantle the law that passed when Democrats controlled Congress.
“The American people have spoken,” Pence said. “They want to see us repeal and replace Obamacare.”
Mr. Trump’s advisers Kellyanne Conway, Stephen Miller, Rick Dearborn and his incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus attended the meeting, according to a source in the room.
Some lawmakers exiting the meeting were discussing a possible Feb. 20 deadline to send Mr. Trump a bill that would repeal the healthcare law, but AshLee Strong, spokeswoman to Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, disputed that date.
Asked if Republicans plan to pass a repeal bill immediately but delay its effective date for a few years until a replacement plan is developed, she said, “That’s incorrect. Our goal is to provide relief from this law as soon as possible, and we have not detailed a hard deadline.”
Pence said that the “first order or business” for the new administration would be to repeal and replace Obamacare. Pence and Ryan, however, emphasized that they did not want to “pull the rug out from under” Americans who were dependent on the program.
“We don’t want people to be caught with nothing,” Ryan said.
Just as Pence entered the Capitol, Mr. Trump began tweeting about Obamacare, and he warned Republicans to be “careful” because Democrats will have to “own” the effects of the health-care law.
Republicans must be careful in that the Dems own the failed ObamaCare disaster, with its poor coverage and massive premium increases……
like the 116% hike in Arizona. Also, deductibles are so high that it is practically useless. Don’t let the Schumer clowns out of this web…
massive increases of ObamaCare will take place this year and Dems are to blame for the mess. It will fall of its own weight – be careful!
At the same time, in another part of the Capitol, President Obama made a rare visit to huddle privately with House and Senate Democrats about the best way to defend his signature health-care law.
Following the meeting that lasted more than an hour, Mr. Obama said his advice to Democrats was to “look out for the American people.” Some Democrats tweeted photos and a few quotes from inside the room as the president spoke to them.
@POTUS I take responsibility for not doing the best job communicating the importance of the #ACA . pic.twitter.com/DwWsCf3Vkn
. @POTUS “You don’t tear down a house before having plans & building a new one. ” #ACA #acaworks pic.twitter.com/Fe1MpVhAHw
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said at a news conference after the meeting that once Republicans repeal Obamacare, they are the ones who will own responsibility for the nation’s health care.
Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-New York, said Mr. Obama did not broach the idea of Democrats working with Republicans on a replacement plan.
“We don’t even think about replacing the law. Our job is to save the one we got. We can improve it,” she said. “He talked about what this health care means to people. The letters and the things that he’s gotten from people who literally would have died without it.”
Republicans are aiming to use an obscure budget procedure called reconciliation to quickly pass legislation to repeal Obamacare.
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi, R-Wyoming, in fact, unveiled a resolution Tuesday for the repeal. The resolution includes reconciliation instructions to four authorizing committees that are tasked with finding at least $1 billion in deficit reduction over the next decade. It also calls for the authorizing committees to quickly report their proposals to the Budget Committee by Jan. 27.

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President Barack Obama has urged fellow Democrats to fight for his healthcare bill, as the incoming Trump team vowed to make a repeal of the law a priority.
In a two-hour private meeting Mr Obama sought to rally members of his party, as Republicans took their first steps to dismantle his signature bill.
Vice President-elect Mike Pence was also at Congress, where he told his party they would replace Obamacare.
The law has extended health coverage to an estimated 20 million Americans.
But the 2010 Affordable Care Act law has been hit by soaring premium costs and major insurers withdrawing from the scheme, leaving Americans with fewer choices for coverage.
After the outgoing president’s rare visit to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings told reporters Mr Obama had “encouraged us to fight” to protect his flagship domestic policy accomplishment.
Some of those present told US media the president had also urged them to “stay strong” as Republicans prepare to take control of the White House and both chambers of Congress for the first time in a decade.
He spoke as Republicans in the Senate took the first step to begin demolishing Obamacare.
They voted by 51 to 48 to debate a budget resolution designed to starve the programme of funding.
President Obama is not prepared to give up on his healthcare reforms without a fight. His final visit to Congress is a reminder that in just 16 days’ time, his fellow Democrats will hold very little political sway in this battle.
But publicly they’ve decided to talk tough. Congressman Gregory Meeks told me he knows Obamacare has its faults but it brings healthcare to millions who wouldn’t otherwise have it. That’s a key message Democrats are trying to publicise, but it is one they perhaps didn’t make clearly enough during the election campaign.
They also know Republicans have a weak spot. Repealing Obamacare will be the easy part – they have the votes they need and the backing of a president-elect who made it a key campaign pledge.
However, so far no Republican has come forward with a clear replacement plan. Congressman Bruce Westerman told me they don’t want to rip up and get rid of all of the reforms.
Democrats hope they can at least exploit this to delay any dismantling of the Affordable Care Act and in doing so preserve President Obama’s key legislative achievement.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer warned that scrapping the law would throw the insurance marketplace into turmoil and – in a play on Mr Trump’s campaign slogan – “Make America Sick Again”.
But Vice-President-elect Mike Pence, after meeting fellow Republicans on Capitol Hill, said they would bring about a “smooth transition to a market-based healthcare reform system”.
He said repealing and replacing Obamacare was “first order of business” for President-elect Donald Trump and Congress.
House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said Republicans – who have voted more than 50 times to try to repeal all or part of Obamacare – “have a plan” and “plenty of ideas. ”
But during two news conferences, Mr Ryan, Mr Pence and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell offered few details on their proposed replacement.
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White House spokesman Josh Earnest said: “One of the most articulate Republicans on Capitol Hill is the speaker of the House.
“And he did a news conference today where he was unable to explain why Republicans have not put forward their replacement plan. ”
Mr Trump – who will be sworn in as president on 20 January – wrote earlier on Twitter that Republicans “must be careful in that the Dems own the failed ObamaCare disaster”.
He predicted it would “fall of its own weight – be careful! ”
The Obama administration said on Wednesday that 8.8 million Americans had enrolled in Obamacare for 2017, about 200,000 more than at the same time a year ago.
Mr Trump criticised the Affordable Care Act during his campaign, promising it would be replaced by something “much better and much less expensive”.
But after meeting President Obama in the days following his November victory, he vowed to keep some popular elements of the law in place.
Mr Trump said he liked the rule barring insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions.

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Sen. Chuck Schumer used his opening remarks as Senate Minority Leader Tuesday to warn incoming president Donald Trump about relying too much on Twitter and “hard-right” lawmakers.
“If President-elect Trump lets the hard-right members of Congress and his cabinet run the show, if he attempts to adopt their time-worn policies which benefit the elites, the special interests, corporate America — not the working man and woman — his presidency will not succeed,” the New York Democrat said, according to The Wall Street Journal.
“Maybe not in the first 90 days, but certainly not in the first two years,” he added.
“With all due respect, America cannot afford a Twitter presidency. Many Americans are afraid, Mr. President-elect, that instead of rolling up your sleeves and forging serious policies…that, for you, Twitter suffices,” Schumer said.
Schumer also criticized a number of Trump’s appointments to his cabinet, saying “too many of his cabinet picks support the same, hard-right, doctrinaire positions that many in the Republican Party have held for years, policies that the American people have repeatedly rejected. ”
The senator also charged the incoming president with marching in “lockstep” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert responded to Schumer on Wednesday, telling Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” program that Schumer represents “the fringe party. “

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