Biden faults Trump after hack

President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday accused the Trump administration of failing to prioritize cybersecurity in the wake of a far-reaching breach of private and government systems and promised a serious response when he takes office.

“This attack constitutes a grave risk to our national security. It was carefully planned and carefully orchestrated. It was carried out by using sophisticated cyber tools. The attackers succeeded in catching the federal government off guard and unprepared,” Biden said during remarks in Wilmington, Del. “The Trump administration failed to prioritize cybersecurity.”

Biden said that the attack had the hallmarks of Russian cyber operations but called on the Trump administration to make a formal attribution in order to hold the actors accountable. His remarks came after President Trump downplayed the hack and questioned whether Russia was behind it, after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attributed the hack to Moscow.