Trump 'backs' Assange's Russia hacking denial

Donald Trump has cast doubt over US intelligence alleging Russia meddled in the country's recent election by appearing to support suggestions that it was the Democratic National Committee's "carelessness" that led to the hack.

Posting on Twitter, the new President-elect posed the question "Why was the DNC so careless?" while repeating Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's comments that "a 14 year old could have hacked Podesta".

It is the latest in a string of tweets from Mr Trump referring to the hacking of the committee's private email traffic, including emails of John Podesta - a top adviser to Hillary Clinton, last year.

Assange has publicly denied his source for the emails WikiLeaks released was a state, leaving open the possibility that he acquired it from a third party, as well as claiming the US media coverage of the hacking case has been "very dishonest".