WSJ – President-elect works on restructuring Office of the Director of National Intelligence, tweets again his doubts that Russia hacked Democrats – “President-elect Donald Trump, a harsh critic of U.S. intelligence agencies, is working with top advisers on a plan that would restructure and pare back the nation’s top spy agency, people familiar with the planning said. The move is prompted by his belief that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has become bloated and politicized, these people said. The planning comes as Mr. Trump has leveled a series of social-media attacks in recent months and the past few days against U.S. intelligence agencies, dismissing and mocking their assessment that Russia stole emails from Democratic groups and individuals and then provided them to WikiLeaks for publication in an effort to help Mr. Trump win the White House. One of the people familiar with Mr. Trump’s planning said advisers also are working on a plan to restructure the Central Intelligence Agency, cutting back on staffing at its Virginia headquarters and pushing more people out into field posts around the world. The CIA declined to comment…”

• Related via New York Times – Rebuffing efforts by President-elect Donald J. Trump to cast doubt on Russian interference in the election, top intelligence officials and senators from both parties issued a forceful affirmation of the findings
• Related via New York Times – Ex-Senator Dan Coates (Indiana) to Be Named National Intelligence Director
• Related via New York Times – Our Investigation of the Russian Hacking
• Related via WSJ – graphic of “Trump hashtag diplomacy“
• Related via CNN – Graham to Trump: Don’t undermine intel experts – Sen. Lindsay Graham (R) sends a message to President-elect Donald Trump by stating it’s okay to challenge the intel officials but don’t undermine them.
• Related via The Hill – GOP lawmakers slam Assange after Trump praise, highlighting Russia rift
• Related via The Independent – Russia ‘poses major threat’ to US, intelligence officials tell Senate hearing on hacking. The intelligence community is expected to release a declassified report to the public on Monday
• Related via Washington Post – Trump’s criticism of intelligence on Russia is dividing Hill GOP – “President-elect Donald Trump’s broadside against the intelligence community is dividing Capitol Hill Republicans, with some ready to pounce on Trump’s skepticism that Russia interfered with the U.S. elections and others urging a more cautious approach. The resulting schism could widen as Congress begins probing the CIA’s charges that Russia intervened in the November elections in an attempt to help Trump, potentially becoming one of the first significant intraparty breaches of the Trump presidency. U.S. critics of Russian President Vladi­mir Putin, such as Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), want to go full-bore on holding Russia to account for its suspected election interference. But they may be slowed by GOP senators who prefer to wait to hear the intelligence community’s evidence and for Trump to be installed in the White House.”