The Latest: Senate leader says Russians not ‘our friends’

FILE - In this Dec. 9, 2016 file photo, President-elect Donald Trump speaks in Grand Rapids, Mich. Trump says he’ll reduce the costs of the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, after he takes office. The president-elect tweeted Monday that the “F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th.”
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) — FILE - In this Dec. 9, 2016 file photo, President-elect Donald Trump speaks in Grand Rapids, Mich. Trump says he’ll reduce the costs of the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, after he takes office. The president-elect tweeted Monday that the “F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th.” (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) FILE - In this Dec. 9, 2016 file photo, President-elect Donald Trump speaks in Grand Rapids, Mich. Trump says he’ll reduce the costs of the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, after he takes office. The president-elect tweeted Monday that the “F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th.” (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

By Associated Press December 12, 2016 4 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump (all times EST):

10:05 a.m.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has strongly condemned any foreign meddling to influence the U.S. election. McConnell spoke to reporters Monday, a day after President-elect Donald Trump said the recent CIA assertion that Russian hacking had sought to help his candidacy was “ridiculous.”

McConnell says that the “Russians are not our friends” and condemned Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee and other “U.S. political organizations.”

The Kentucky Republican says the Senate Intelligence Committee will investigate. He made his remarks as Trump continues to downplay the CIA’s confidential assessment that the Russian government hacked into the DNC and Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta’s email account.