Rep. McCaul: I told Trump Russia was behind the hacks, but he thinks there's no proof

A top Republican on national security said he advised Donald Trump that Russia was using hacked information to influence the election process, but the GOP presidential nominee didn't appear to believe him.

“I think he has in his mind that there’s not the proof,” House Homeland Security Chairman Mike McCaul said Tuesday during a Texas Tribune event in Austin. "Now he hasn't had the briefing I had, but I made it clear that in my judgment it was a nation-state."


McCaul, a Trump supporter, told Tribune CEO Evan Smith that he was brought in to brief Trump on national security after the first presidential debate — a topic the Texas Republican conceded is “not [Trump’s] strength.”

Despite the coaching from the congressman, Trump stated during the final presidential debate last week that the U.S. has no idea who is behind hacks of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s emails. The material was released by WikiLeaks.

“She has no idea whether it is Russia, China or anybody else,” Trump said during the debate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “You have no idea. Our country has no idea.”

As Clinton pointed out, the Department of Homeland Security and Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a joint statement directly blaming Russia earlier this month.

Clinton senior national spokesperson Glen Caplin called Trump's refusal to heed McCaul's advice "troubling."

"Trump's actions as Putin's puppet have gone from bizarre to disqualifying," Caplin said in a statement.

