Quotables

‘It was all a jumbled mess.’

Dmitri Alperovitch, chief technology officer of CrowdStrike, on a Washington Post report that said Russians had hacked a Vermont utility. Subsequent reports indicated the Russians had not hacked the utility. Alperovitch had investigated the Russian involvement in the DNC hack.

‘It was a stumble. ... Probably not the way you want to start out.’

U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., on the Republicans’ reversal in position over an amendment they had proposed in the new Congress that would have drastically rolled back the Office of Congressional Ethics.

‘Absolutely shameful.’

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., on the Obama administration’s decision not to block a UN resolution condemning Israel. Ryan said the vote “sets a dangerous precedent for further diplomatic efforts to isolate and demonize Israel.”

‘If you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way, because I’ll tell you what, no computer is safe.’

President-elect Donald Trump on the alleged Russian hacking of Democratic Party emails.

‘Turkish President Erdogan sees anti-Christian conspiracy theories as an effective strategy for galvanizing popular support for his one-man rule.’

Aykan Erdemir, a former member of the Turkish Parliament and a Muslim, on the arrest of American pastor and longtime Turkish resident Andrew Brunson. Erdemir has been a regular defender of Christians in the country.