Trump claims US spy chief 'denounced' golden showers dossier

Donald Trump has claimed US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper called him to "denounce" a controversial dossier in which it was alleged the Russians have compromising information on the president-elect.

Trump tweeted on Thursday (12 January): "James Clapper called me yesterday to denounce the false and fictitious report that was illegally circulated. Made up, phony facts. Too bad!"

On Wednesday, in a rare public statement, Clapper said US Intelligence "has not made any judgement that the information in this document is reliable", but did not go so far as to claim it was false.

Clapper rejected Trump's claim that US Intelligence leaked the report, and said he was "profoundly dismayed" that the information was made public.

He said he had spoken to Trump on Wednesday evening.

"I emphasised that this document is not a US Intelligence Community product and that I do not believe the leaks came from within the IC."

Mr Clapper said they agreed the security breach was "extremely corrosive and damaging to our national security" and the intelligence community "stands ready to serve his administration".

In his first press conference since being elected president on Wednesday and on Twitter Trump denounced the intelligence community which he claimed may have leaked the report, comparing it to something which might have happened in Nazi Germany.

The dossier was allegedly appended to an intelligence report on Russian interference in the US election presented to Trump at an earlier briefing.