White House backs Congress probe of election hacking

The White House today threw its support behind a Congressional investigation into Russian meddling in the US election, saying lawmakers had a "special responsibility" to investigate such an explosive issue.

"We have long supported the principle of congressional review of this matter," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest, saying one was "certainly warranted."

Dismissing President-elect Donald Trump's doubts about Moscow's role, Earnest added: "You didn't need a security clearance to figure out who benefited from malicious Russian cyber activity.