CIA head: Acting like Russia ‘beneath’ US

CIA Director John Brennan said Thursday that Americans cannot sink to Russia’s level when addressing Moscow’s apparent meddling in the U.S. presidential election.

“They do some things that are beyond the pale,” he said of Russia on NPR. “I don’t think we should resort to some of the tactics and techniques that our adversaries employ against us.”

“I think we need to remember what we’re fighting for,” Brennan added. “We’re fighting for our country, our democracy, our way of life, and to engage. And the skullduggery that some of our adversaries engage in, I think it’s beneath this country’s greatness.”

{mosads}President Obama vowed last week the U.S. would retaliate against Russia’s believed interference in electing his successor.

“I think there is no doubt that when any foreign governor tries to impact the integrity of our elections, that we need to take action, and we will — at a time and place of our own choosing,” Obama said in a Dec. 16 NPR interview. “Some of it may be explicit and publicized, some of it may not be.”

Obama added his previous request that the Intelligence Community fully review Russia’s cyberattacks would determine the scope of Moscow’s intrusion.

“When I receive a final report, you know, we’ll be able to, I think, give us a comprehensive and best guess to these motivations,” he said of the review, which he has ordered finished before he departs office Jan. 20.

“But that does not in any way, I think, detract from the basic point that everyone during the election perceived accurately — that in fact what the Russian hack had done was create more problems for the Clinton campaign than it had for the Trump campaign.”

A CIA analysis has reportedly concluded that Russia interfered in last month’s presidential election to boost Republican nominee Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton, his Democratic counterpart.

Intelligence agencies have reportedly identified various individuals who helped Moscow leak hacked documents to WikiLeaks from Democratic sources including Clinton’s campaign chairman. Trump has cast doubt on the intelligence agencies’ findings, and Russia has denied any involvement.