Other governments besides Russia could be involved in hacking attacks on the U.S., according to James Woolsey, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
The adviser to President-elect Donald Trump made the comments Tuesday morning on CNN's "New Day."
"Is it Russian? Probably some. Is it Chinese and Iranian, maybe? Who knows. It shouldn't be portrayed as one guilty party. It's much more complicated than that," Woolsey said.
"This is not an organized operation . . . it's more like a bunch of jackals at the carcass of an antelope."
Host Chris Cuomo followed up by saying that a report on hacking by James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, only mentioned Russia.
"The intelligence community has not communicated it in the way you just did," Cuomo pointed out.
The host then questioned Trump's claim that he had more information on the hacking.
"What can he know that the intelligence communities don't know?" he asked.
Woolsey said that people within the community have contacted him, and may have given Trump information, as well.
"Sometimes when something like this drags on for a substantial period of time, people within the system will call you and say, you know, 'Here's what I know.'"
The former CIA director reiterated that more countries than just Russia are likely to be involved in hacking the U.S.
"I think the possibility that there's more than one country is really there. I don't think people ought to say they know for sure that there is only one. I don't think they're likely to be proven correct," Woolsey said.
On Monday, Woolsey appeared on another CNN show, "The Lead With Jake Tapper," and said Trump might be "playing" with his New Year's Eve claim that he had information on Russia and the alleged hacking.
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