President-elect Joe Biden’s team may consider a number of options “to punish” Russia for its alleged role in a massive hacking of U.S. government agencies and companies when he takes office in January, Reuters reports.
These will include possible new financial sanctions and cyber attacks on Russian infrastructure, Reuters cited anonymous sources as saying on Sunday. The sources said the retaliation should be strong enough to push Russia to pay a high economic, financial or technological price. At the same time, the response should not result in escalating conflict between Moscow and Washington, according to one of the sources. Officials on Biden’s transition team, as well as Treasury and the State Department, have not yet commented on the issue. WH Reported Statements on Alleged Russian Cyberattack The AP news agency has, meanwhile, quoted an unnamed source familiar with the matter as saying that White House officials were in doubt whether to issue an official statement Friday afternoon in which they would accuse Russia of perpetrating the cyberattack, but were instructed not to do so. According to the sources, it is unclear whether U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was informed of the statement prior to his interview on the Mark Levin Show, in which he accused Russia of being behind the cybersecurity breach without providing any evidence.