Mitch McConnell supports investigation into Russian election meddling

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday he supports a congressional inquiry into possible Russian meddling in the U.S. election, saying that investigating whether Russia purposefully interfered "simply cannot be a partisan issue."

"It defies belief that somehow Republicans in the Senate are reluctant to either review Russian tactics or ignore them," McConnell said during a news conference on Capitol Hill.

President-elect Donald Trump has dismissed findings from the intelligence community, including the CIA, that Russia was behind the hacks at the Democratic National Committee in order to influence the election.

"I think it's just another excuse," Trump told Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace. "I don't believe it. ... They have no idea if it's Russia or China or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed someplace."

However a bipartisan group of Senators, including incoming Democratic Minority leader Chuck Schumer and GOP Sen. John McCain, have called for an investigation into Russia's tactics, based on the intelligence community's findings.

McConnell — whose wife was nominated to be Trump's transportation secretary — now agrees.

"We need to approach all these on the assumption the Russians do not wish us well," McConnell said.