DONALD Trump has set himself on a collision course with America’s intelligence agencies by accusing them of allowing “fake news” about him to be leaked and likening it to the actions of Nazi Germany.
Just nine days out from his inauguration, the incoming 45th US President said the publication of an alleged Russian report about him, had been done by “sick people”.
The claims include damaging information about Mr Trump’s business interests and salacious “blackmail video” evidence, including suggestions he used prostitutes at a plush Moscow hotel.
"It's all fake news; it's phoney stuff, it didn't happen," declared the President-elect at his first press conference.
Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin's spokesman, said the claims of Russian involvement were "pulp fiction" and a "clear attempt to damage relations". He insisted the Russian government did “not engage in collecting compromising material".
While Mr Trump announced plans to hand over his business affairs to sons Donald Jr and Eric to avoid perceived conflicts of interest, brushed aside calls for him to publish his tax returns and recommitted himself to building a wall along the Mexican border, it was the publication of the sensational claims about him that dominated the questions and answers.
Addressing reporters in a lively atmosphere at Trump Tower in New York, he dismissed the unverified dossier as all made up and said it would be a "tremendous blot" on the CIA and FBI’s reputations if it was shown that they had leaked it.
Nonetheless, the President-elect took them to task, saying: “It was disgraceful, disgraceful that the intelligence agencies allowed any information that turned out to be so false and fake out there…That's something that Nazi Germany would have done.”
The 35-page dossier of allegations was published in full by Buzzfeed, which Mr Trump described as a "failing pile of garbage," and accused CNN, which reported it, of "going out of their way to build it up". When a reporter from the news channel sought to ask a question, the billionaire businessman steadfastly refused to take it and pointed to another reporter.
The claims are that Russia has damaging information about the President-elect's business interests as well as salacious video evidence of his private life, including claims of using prostitutes at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Moscow.
Forcefully denying the allegations, the Republican politician blamed the creation of the dossier on his political opponents, who, he said, had "got together - sick people - and they put that crap together".
He claimed some of the more lurid details were highly improbable because he was a "germophobe"; someone who hated uncleanliness.
Mr Trump stressed how as a high-profile person he was always very aware of the danger that hotel rooms could contain hidden cameras.
He insisted Moscow had "no leverage" over him as he had "no deals, no loans, no nothing" with Russia.
While for the first time he said he accepted Russia had been behind hacking attacks, the incoming President made clear other countries were also engaged in cyber-warfare.
He said he accepted Mr Putin's assurance that Moscow had not been gathering information on him and that he hoped to enjoy good relations with Russia.
"If Putin likes Donald Trump I consider that an asset, not a liability because we have a horrible relationship with Russia. Russia can help us fight Isis, which, by the way, is number one tricky," declared the President-elect.
He did not respond directly to a question about whether or not anyone connected to his campaign had had any contact with Moscow during the run-up to, or in the course of, the presidential election, but said his message to Mr Putin was that the hacking had to stop.
"He shouldn't be doing it. He won't be doing it. Russia will have much greater respect for our country when I am leading it than when other people have led it. You will see that," added Mr Trump.
Meantime, Rex Tillerson, the nominee to be the next Secretary of State, told a Senate confirmation hearing that it was a "fair assumption" that Mr Putin was behind the US election hacks.
The former Chief Executive of Exxon Mobil said the US intelligence report on Russian tampering was "clearly…troubling".
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