Donald Trump does not wish to jump to conclusions on Russian hacking because there is no conclusive evidence that Moscow influenced the US presidential election, the incoming White House press secretary said on Monday, as the president-elect’s team continued to express scepticism about intelligence surrounding the affair.

Sean Spicer told Fox and Friends that “rushing to judgment” on the matter was not in anyone’s best interest, and criticised the “mainstream media” for suggesting that Russia had an influence on the election’s outcome. “There is zero evidence that they actually influenced the election,” he said. 

Last week President Barack Obama said the US was expelling 35 Russian intelligence operatives and imposing sanctions on Russia’s two main intelligence services — the FSB and GRU — in retaliation for cyber attacks that it said were orchestrated by the Kremlin. The suggestion that Russia interfered in America’s democratic process has not only alarmed Democrats, but also senior Republicans in Congress, who have vowed to investigate.