Trump calls NY Time’s report a ‘virtual treason’

US President Donald Trump on Saturday accused The New York Times of "a virtual act of treason," after it reported the US is stepping up digital incursions into Russia's electric power grid.

Current and former government officials have described the classified deployment of American computer code inside Russia's power grid and other targets, the Times reported.

The action is intended partly as a warning but also to leave the US poised to conduct cyberstrikes in the event of a major conflict between the US and Russia, the newspaper said.

Trump tweeted that the accusations were "NOT TRUE," calling the media "corrupt" and repeating accusations that journalists are "the enemy of the people."

"Do you believe that the Failing New York Times just did a story stating that the United States is substantially increasing Cyber Attacks on Russia," he wrote.

"This is a virtual act of Treason by a once great paper so desperate for a story, any story, even if bad for our Country."

In its Saturday report, the Times described "broad hesitation to go into detail with Mr Trump about operations against Russia for concern over his reaction -- and the possibility that he might countermand it or discuss it with foreign officials."

The Times also cited National Security Council officials as saying they had no security concerns about the newspaper's reporting on the digital incursions, perhaps indicating that some of the intrusions were meant to be noticed by the Russians.

The New York Times, Washington Post and other publications have issued numerous investigative reports into Trump and his administration, with probes also under way by Congressional committees.