Trump questions US intelligence leaders

President-elect Donald Trump has raised new doubts about America's intelligence community, tweeting fresh criticism at the same people who will help inform his most sensitive decisions once he takes office.

Trump charged on Tuesday, without evidence, that the timing of an upcoming intelligence briefing on suspected Russian interference in the 2016 election had been delayed.

"Perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!" he wrote on Twitter, using quote marks around the word "intelligence."

Trump's tweet, in line with repeated criticism of his nation's intelligence leaders, caused confusion among intelligence officials, who said there was no delay in the briefing schedule.

The fresh clash came as Trump promised to hold his first formal news conference since his election victory next week in New York. He has already waited longer than any other president-elect in the modern era to hold his first exchange with journalists. Most have held such events within days of their elections.

It was unclear if the news conference would be the venue for his delayed announcement on how he plans to avoid potential conflicts of interest involving his businesses after taking office. Transition officials said multiple topics could be covered, but would not specifically say whether they included Trump's businesses. Trump was supposed to detail the arrangements at a mid-December news conference, but postponed the event.