At the same time, President Barack Obama ordered the removal of 35 Russian intelligence officials after the CIA accused Russian hackers of swaying the election in favor of Trump.
“All Americans should be alarmed by Russia’s actions. In October, my administration publicized our assessment that Russia took actions intended to interfere with the U.S. election process,” Obama said in an end-of-year press conference. “These data theft and disclosure activities could only have been directed by the highest levels of the Russian government. Moreover, our diplomats have experienced an unacceptable level of harassment in Moscow by Russian security services and police over the last year. Such activities have consequences.”
