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Russia's Lavrov Gives 'Four-Letter' Response to DNC Hack Claim

John Kerry's Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, gave a surprisingly direct response when asked by a reporter if Moscow was behind the DNC email leak.
Image: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meets Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov during a bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Vientiane
John Kerry greets Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov in front of cameras at a bilateral meeting in Vientiane, Laos.JORGE SILVA / Reuters

Secretary of State John Kerry says he raised the email hack of the Democratic National Committee with Russia's top diplomat but stopped short of making any allegation about who might be responsible.

Kerry told reporters Tuesday he brought the matter up with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a meeting in Laos and explained that the FBI was investigating.

Related: Why Experts Are Sure Russia Hacked the DNC Emails

He did not, however, repeat allegations or echo suspicions that Russia was responsible for the hack and said he would not draw conclusions until the probe is complete. "I raised the question and we will continue to work to see precisely what those facts are," Kerry said. He would not say if Lavrov responded.

Earlier, there was an awkward moment during the formal greeting in front of cameras when a reporter shouted a question to Lavrov asking what he thought about the allegation that Russia was responsible for the hack.

"I don't want to use four-letter words,” Lavrov replied.