JUDY WOODRUFF:

Mr. Trump has not released tax returns to verify his claims, and he said again he won't do so until a federal audit is finished.

He also declined to say whether his associates or campaign staff had contact with Russian officials during the campaign. An ABC reporter tweeted later that the president-elect denied any such contact after the news conference ended.

We take a closer look at Russia, the president-elect, and these latest revelations with former attorney at the National Security Agency Susan Hennessey. She is now a fellow at the Brookings Institution and is managing editor for the Web site Lawfare about the intersection of the law and national security. And John Sipher, he served almost 30 years at the CIA, both in the agency's clandestine service and executive ranks. He was stationed in Moscow in the 1990s and he ran the CIA's Russia program for three years. He's now at CrossLead, a consulting firm.

And welcome to both of you.

So let's start, Susan Hennessey, but I just want to ask both of you in brief, what do you make of this report?