A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow rejects the accusations that it hacked the emails of the Democratic National Committee and the account of Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. They also vowed retaliation for new sanctions imposed by the Obama administration on Thursday which include the sanctioning of agencies and individuals purportedly tied to the hacks and the removal of 35 Russian government officials from the United States.
"You realize, of course, reciprocal steps will be made and the U.S. embassy in Moscow and, quite possibly, the consulates will be cut down to size as well," Vladimir Dzhabarov, deputy chairman of the foreign policy committee in the Russian Duma told Tass News News Agency after the sanctions came down.