WASHINGTON - The White House says President-elect Donald Trump is "deeply misguided" in his criticism of the intelligence community and its leaders.
Meanwhile Mr Trump conceded for the first time that Russia was behind the hacking of Democrats during the presidential election, saying at a news conference that, "I think it was Russia".
Mr Trump has accused intelligence agencies of leaking a report claiming that top intelligence officials told him about an unsubstantiated report that Russia had about him. The president-elect likened it to the actions of Nazi Germany.
In response, White House spokesman Josh Earnest says it's "deeply misguided for anybody, at any level, to question the integrity and motives of the patriots" who supply the nation's intelligence.
A US official says top intelligence officials told Mr Trump about the unsubstantiated report last week.
The dossier contains unproven information about close coordination between Trump's inner circle and Russians. It includes details about Russian hacking into Democratic accounts as well as unproven claims about unusual sexual activities by Trump, among other allegations attributed to anonymous sources.
The Associated Press has not authenticated any of the claims.