US 'identifies agents behind Russian hack'

US intelligence has identified the go-betweens the Russians used to provide stolen emails to WikiLeaks, CNN reported, citing US officials familiar with the classified intelligence report presented to President Barack Obama on Thursday.

The agents, whose names have not been released, are alleged to have sent stolen Democratic emails to WikiLeaks to try to swing the vote for current President-elect Donald Trump.

In a Fox News interview earlier this week, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange denied that Russia was the source of leaked Democratic emails that are said to have roiled the 2016 election to the detriment of President-elect Donald Trump's rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton. Russia has also denied any involvement.

US intelligence officials told the Washington Post and NBC that the classified document, said to be more than 50 pages long, claims that intercepted communications revealed Russian intelligence officials celebrating Trump’s win.

An unclassified version of the report will be published early next week, prepared by the NSA, CIA and FBI and providing additional information for the intelligence agencies’ conclusion that Russia deliberately hacked the Democratic National Committee to aid Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

The head of US intelligence, James Clapper, and the heads of the CIA, NSA and FBI are due to brief Trump, who doubts the claims, later today.

Clapper, publicly defended his analysts, who he said “stand more resolutely” than ever behind their conclusion of “Russian interference in our electoral process”.

US Vice-President Joe Biden lambasted the President-elect on Thursday for attacking the intelligence community over the claims, saying it was "absolutely mindless" not to have faith in the agencies.

President-elect Trump appeared to question in a tweet the confidence of intelligence agencies' findings, asking why they decided not to request to examine computers belonging to the Democratic National Committee (DNC).