With his inauguration less than three weeks away, President-elect Donald Trump has made a fresh assault on the U.S. intelligence community.
Trump said on Twitter that an intelligence briefing he was due to receive on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election had been delayed until January 6, using quote marks around the word "intelligence."
"Perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!" he wrote on January 3.
However, U.S. intelligence officials were quoted as saying there was no delay in the briefing schedule.
U.S. intelligence agencies believe Russia directed hacks against the Democratic Party and the campaign of its presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, releasing information through WikiLeaks and other outlets to help Trump win the election.
In an interview aired on January 3, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange denied that he obtained thousands of leaked Democratic e-mails from the Russian government.
"The source is not the Russian government. It is not state parties," he told U.S. network Fox News.
Asked if he thought the leaks of Democratic Party e-mails led to Trump's victory in November, he said: "Who knows, it's impossible to tell."