What is really going on in politics? Get our daily email briefing straight to your inbox Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Donald Trump signalled he trusts Wikileaks founder Julian Assange more than US intelligence agents today.

In a tweet posted late last night, the President Elect suggested a briefing on state-backed Russian hackers interfering in last year's presidential election had been delayed until Friday.

He added: "Perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!"

A Senior US Intelligence official told NBC news soon after the meeting was "always" scheduled for Friday and Trump was "mistaken."

Intelligence agents believe Russian hackers, under orders from the Kremlin, stole emails belonging to John Podesta, Hillary Clinton 's campaign chief.

The emails were later published by Wikileaks.

But last night, in an interview with Fox News, Assange told Trump-supporting news anchor Sean Hannity the Russian government were not his source for the emails.

Today, Donald Trump quoted Assange, saying a "14 year old" could have hacked Podesta's emails, before adding: "Also said Russians did not give him the info!"

He added: "More dishonest than anyone knows."

The emails highlighted details of paid speeches made by Hillary Clinton to Wall Street figures that staffers believed could have been problematic to her campaign.

They also appeared to reveal CNN anchor Donna Brazile had shared a question from the second Presidential TV debate with the clinton campaign ahead of time, which Brazile repeatedly denied.

Conspiracy theorists seized upon discussions of a Washington DC Pizza restaurant - Comet Ping Pong, a regular haunt of DC insiders - which they falsely claimed was evidence Clinton staffers were speaking in code and were involved in a child sex abuse ring based in the restaurant's basement.

The bizarre theory - which became known as 'pizza-gate' - climaxed when a man turned up to Comet Ping Pong with an automatic rifle, saying he was 'self-investigating' the conspiracy.

Edgar Maddison Welch stormed into the restaurant with an AR-15 rifle, terrorising customers, shooting into the floor and demanding to see the basement.

He eventually surrendered to police after being informed the restaurant had no basement.

This morning, former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin said: "This important information that finally opened people's eyes to Democrat candidates and operatives would not have been exposed were it not for Julian Assange."

Palin apologised to Assange for a 2010 outburst in which she accused Assange of being an "anti-American operator with blood on his hands."