(CNN) President Donald Trump is facing fresh political heat over his relationship with Vladimir Putin over details of a new Russian hacking strike against US democracy that emerged hours after he again cast doubt on Moscow's interference in the 2016 presidential race.

Russia immediately denied the allegations by Microsoft and responded with a cryptic comment that it had heard from the US "that there was not any meddling in the elections." The Kremlin's choice of words will renew intrigue about what exactly the President told the Russian President during their private meeting in Helsinki, Finland, last month, the full contents of which are still not known to some top intelligence officials.

The claims that Russian hackers targeted conservative think tanks critical of Trump and the Moscow government and the US Senate may also again expose the odd divide between the President and his own national security and intelligence establishment on the issue.

Earlier this month, the White House put on an impressive show of force by top national security and intelligence officials who warned of a "pervasive" campaign against US democracy by Russia and attempts to sow discord in November's elections.

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