--- title: Joe Biden Hits Donald Trump Over Russian Hacking description: Joe Biden harshly criticized Donald Trump for not acknowledging that Russian hackers are behind the leaks of Democratic emails. canonical: https://time.com/4544791/joe-biden-donald-trump-russian-hacking/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-10-25T16:57:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-07T06:51:59.836Z article:section: Politics og:title: Biden Hits Trump Over Russian Hacking og:description: "That plays directly into the hands of Putin." og:url: https://time.com/4544791/joe-biden-donald-trump-russian-hacking/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf47a7b476fd928d4/6988ab7ccd1bba5598702d3d/gettyimages-615855782-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: US Vice President Joe Biden Speaking At Edward M. Kennedy Institute og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Biden Hits Trump Over Russian Hacking twitter:description: "That plays directly into the hands of Putin." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf47a7b476fd928d4/6988ab7ccd1bba5598702d3d/gettyimages-615855782-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Joe Biden Hits Donald Trump Over Russian Hacking > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=b298e671-0924-4847-83c3-341e74e7d3c1&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Joe Biden Hits Donald Trump Over Russian Hacking [Watch (HLS stream): Joe Biden Hits Donald Trump Over Russian Hacking](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/NSDGHKGo.m3u8) (1:06)  _Published 2016-10-25. Joe Biden harshly criticized Donald Trump for not acknowledging that Russian hackers are behind the leaks of Democratic emails._ by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Oct 25, 2016 4:57 PM UTC Joe Biden harshly criticized Donald Trump for not acknowledging that Russian hackers are behind the leaks of Democratic emails. by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Oct 25, 2016 4:57 PM UTC Joe Biden harshly criticized Donald Trump for not acknowledging that Russian hackers are behind the leaks of Democratic emails. At a campaign stop for Hillary Clinton at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, the vice president gave a fiery denunciation of the Republican presidential nominee for saying at a recent debate that he did not know who is behind the hacks of the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign. Biden argued that Trump’s remarks played into the hands of Russian leader Vladimir Putin. “When he says—for the world listening—that I know the intelligence agencies don’t know what they’re talking about, what does that say about us?” Biden said. “That plays directly into the hands of Putin, who is using the propaganda at home to suggest that we’re weak, we’ve fallen, we are not together, we don’t know what we’re doing.” Earlier this month, the Homeland Security Department and the Director of National Intelligence released a joint statement that said the U.S. intelligence community was “confident that the Russian government” was behind the hacks. At the [third presidential debate](http://time.com/4535247/presidential-debate-final-transcript/), Trump said that “our country has no idea” who is behind the hacks, “whether it’s Russia, China or anybody else.” At [the first debate](http://time.com/4508768/presidential-debate-trump-clinton-transcript/), held before the joint statement came out, he argued that it “could be somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds.” ## Transcript This is a man who in the last debate refused to acknowledge what 17 of your intelligence agencies have confirmed, flatly stated that Russia and Putin are responsible for hacking the Democratic files in order to impact on the outcome of our election. And when he says to the world listening that I know the intelligence agencies don't know what they're talking about, what does that say about us? That plays directly into the hands of Putin, who is using the propaganda at home to suggest we're weak, we've fallen, we are not together, we don't know what we're doing. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] He continues to praise the man who is trying to exploit central and eastern Europe, to separate our allies, to intimidate them by talking about he is a strong leader. He probably loved Saddam. [ LAUGH ] If he wants strong leaders. I'm being deadly earnest, man. 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