Sean Spicer on BuzzFeed's memo release: “It's, frankly, outrageous and highly irresponsible" https://t.co/j6jNyCkKvZ https://t.co/7kD67lx0DX — CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) January 11, 2017

NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump Donald John TrumpBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' Military leaders asked about using heat ray on protesters outside White House: report Powell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could 'scar and damage' economy MORE's team rejected explosive media reports Wednesday alleging that intelligence officials are investigating whether the Russian government has compromising personal and financial information that it could use against him.



Trump also denied reports alleging that the nation’s top national security officials and some members of Congress are looking into whether key figures in the President-elect’s orbit were in touch with Moscow during the presidential campaign about how to defeat Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' Virginia Democrat blasts Trump's 'appalling' remark about COVID-19 deaths in 'blue states' The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden asks if public can trust vaccine from Trump ahead of Election Day | Oklahoma health officials raised red flags before Trump rally MORE and get Trump into the White House.



The Kremlin on Wednesday dismissed the reports as a “total hoax.”



Trump and incoming press secretary Sean Spicer echoed that sentiment at a dramatic Wednesday press conference in Trump Tower, his first since winning the presidency.

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Spicer said the reports were a "sad and pathetic attempt to get clicks. It’s not an intelligence report, plain and simple."

"With all the talk of fake news, this was a political witch hunt ... some of the most flimsy reporting."

Trump, who was typically combative toward the press during the campaign, praised news organizations who decided not to publish the report.

"I want to thank a lot of the news organizations, some who have not treated me very well over the years. … They came out so strongly against this fake news. I have a great respect of the news and freedom of the press."

CNN reported on Tuesday that U.S. officials briefed Trump and President Obama on allegations that the Russian government has compromising personal and financial information about him.



The officials also allegedly informed the two that there are whispers within the intelligence community about Trump’s associates and Moscow working hand-in-hand to swing the election the president-elect’s way. On Tuesday, the Guardian reported that the FBI sought surveillance warrants to monitor Trump associates' connections to Russia, although it's not clear whether the warrants applications were approved.



According to CNN, a former British intelligence agent hired by Trump’s political opponents put together a 35-page dossier detailing the allegations, which were distilled into a two-page addendum to an intelligence briefing given to Trump last week.



The details within the dossier have not been verified by U.S. intelligence officials and it is unclear how reliable the information is. Some have pointed to sloppy typographical mistakes in the dossier to question the material. On Wednesday, Arizona Sen. John McCain John Sidney McCainKelly's lead widens to 10 points in Arizona Senate race: poll COVID response shows a way forward on private gun sale checks Trump pulls into must-win Arizona trailing in polls MORE (R) acknowledged that he had received a copy of the dossier and passed it on to the FBI without confirming its veracity.

BuzzFeed published the report, whose conclusions remain uncorroborated, on Tuesday.



The episode is likely to inflame Trump’s feud with the intelligence community and the media. On Wednesday, Trump tweeted that the intelligence agencies "should never have allowed this fake news to 'leak.'"

Intelligence agencies should never have allowed this fake news to "leak" into the public. One last shot at me.Are we living in Nazi Germany? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2017



Since the election, Trump has sought cast doubt on intelligence agency reports that the Russian-backed hackers stole emails from the Democratic National Committee to help him win the election.





- Lisa Hagen contributed.