In the recent weeks since the 2016 United States Presidential Election there has been a growing controversy about possible Russian interference.  There is bipartisan support for a more probing investigation to get to the bottom of what happened as there still no crystal clear evidence of what occurred and there is no clear strategy for a US response.

President Obama, as well as Senators Mc Connell, Schumer, McCain, Graham and Reed are calling for deeper investigations into the matter. While there appears to be evidence that the hacks resulted in the release of thousands of emails containing damaging revelations  about the Democratic Party and that there has been Russian influence it is not clearly tied to Russian President Vladimir Putin and  there is no hard evidence that the hacking efforts were designed to bolster President Elect Trump’s chances and to hurt Clinton.

A U.S. intelligence report commissioned by President Barack Obama in December, concluded vote tallies were not affected by Russian interference, but did not assess whether it influenced the outcome of the vote in other ways. President-elect Donald Trump said he accepts the intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia engaged in attacks during the election and that he may take action in response, but his spokesman Reince Priebus did not clarify whether president-elect Trump agreed that the hacks were directed by Putin.

Two Republican Senators, Lindsay Graham and John McCain,  said evidence was conclusive that Putin sought to influence the election and they have urged Trump to punish Russia in response to U.S. intelligence agencies’ conclusion that Putin personally directed efforts aimed at influencing the election.

President Obama has vowed the US will retaliate against Russia at a time and place of our choosing for Moscow’s hacking attempts to influence the country’s elections.  This facts about the hacking will continue to develop in the coming weeks before the inauguration and will likely reveal more twists and turns.