President-elect Donald Trump’s top spokesman demanded Thursday that Democrats take more responsibility for not preventing alleged Russian cyberintrusions.
Sean Spicer, a top strategist at the Republican National Committee and the incoming White House press secretary, told CNN’s Jake Tapper that while he condemned the hackings, too much emphasis had been placed on the attempts and not enough on ways to prevent them.
“At some point, the question hasn’t even been asked of the (Democratic National Committee): Did you take basic measures to protect the data that was on there?” said Spicer, who spoke shortly before the Obama administration slapped Russia with sanctions over the hackings. “Where’s the responsibility of them to protect their systems?”
Spicer said the media had not properly scrutinized the DNC’s lack of adequate cybersecurity. DNC officials have kept a low profile after exposed emails led to the ouster of DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz this summer and especially after the loss of Hillary Clinton in November.
Spicer also reiterated the Trump transition team’s desire for intelligence on Russia’s desire to help elect Trump to be made public before any retribution be determined.
“If they believe so strongly that they want the United States to act,” Spicer said, “there is a degree of public, on-the-record statement that the intelligence community should make.”
