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AP
The head of the Senate Committee on armed services John McCain called the Director of national intelligence James Clapper at a hearing January 5 on the “Russian threat,” reads the statement on the website of the Committee.
Also at the hearing, will be called the head of United States cyber command Admiral Mike Rogers. Clapper and Rogers leave the post Jan 20, together with the Obama administration.
On Thursday the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama imposed sanctions against nine Russian institutions, companies and individuals, including against the GRU and the FSB, for “meddling in the election” and “the pressure on us diplomats” working in Russia. The USA closed the Russian diplomats access to two residential complexes, the so — called suburban “summer cottages” of the permanent mission of the Russian Federation in new York and the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Washington, which is the Russian diplomatic property. In addition, persona non grata declared 35 Russian diplomats.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow will not send American diplomats in response to Washington’s actions. He stressed that according to established international practice, Russia has all grounds for an adequate response. Moscow reserves right to retaliate, but would not stoop to the level of “cooking” diplomacy, said the head of state. Putin described the hostile actions of the Obama administration as “provocative, aimed at further undermining Russian-American relations.”