US threatens sanctions against culprit in hacking of federal employees' data

White House spokesman refuses to confirm claims of Chinese involvement in hack that compromised data of 4 million US government employees

The White House has threatened possible economic sanctions against whoever is found to be involved in the recent hacking of US government personnel records, as China responded angrily to unofficial reports that pointed the finger in its direction.

Obama press secretary Josh Earnest refused to confirm off-the-record US claims of Chinese involvement, insisting at a press briefing on Friday that the FBI was still investigating who compromised the personal data of up to 4 million US government employees in the hack.