Russian hackers reportedly tried to hack Republican National Committee computer networks with the same techniques that allowed them to gain access to its Democratic counterpart.

But hackers couldn't get past the RNC's security defenses, according to officials .

Last spring, hackers sent phishing emails to an account linked to a long-departed RNC staffer.

The emails were quarantined by a filter that detects spam as well as potentially malicious emails that may contain viruses or trick recipients into sharing their passwords, two officials told the Wall Street Journal.

RNC staffers apparently didn't realize they had been a target until June, when DNC leaders revealed their networks had been hacked.

Many analysts in the CIA have concluded that Russians hackers stole emails from the DNC as well as Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta in an effort to harm the former secretary of state's candidacy and help sway the election in favor of Donald Trump.

Russia has denied the allegations.

Trump's team and the White House have clashed in recent days over the hacking as the president-elect has dismissed the conclusions of intelligence officials.

After White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Thursday that Trump "obviously knew that Russia was engaged in malicious cyberactivity that was helping him and hurting Hillary Clinton's campaign," Trump fired back.

"This foolish guy, Josh Earnest, I don't know if he's talking to President Obama," Trump said at a rally in Hershey, Pennsylvania. "You know, having the right press secretary — so important, because he is so bad the way he delivers a message."