Trump Backs Intel Agencies After Raising Doubts Over Russian Meddling
This has always been a very strange quality of Trump of acting more like Mafia Lord than a president in this kind of behavior. It just says to me that Trump is the most corrupt president since around 1900. I think our intelligence agencies know this to. I find it very very strange that he is in power rather than someone without thousands of varieties of obvious Conflict of influence which should have prevented him from even becoming president but didn't. This is just evidence of how many people have been paid off on the way to Trump being president in the first place in addition to all the many women he has raped or fondled along the way. He is no different at all than Weinstein in this.However, it must also be noted that JFK had hundreds of women while he was president too. However, JFK was like a King Arthur in Camelot in some ways but that is not who Trump is. I'm interested to know how Trump will be seen in future history books? LIkely JFKs exploits led to his assassination in some ways too.
Trump Backs Intel Agencies After Raising Doubts Over Russian Meddling
byAli Vitali
HANOI, Vietnam — President Donald Trump said
Sunday that he's "with" the U.S. intelligence agencies that have
concluded Russia meddled in the 2016 election, despite repeated denials
from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"I believe [Putin] believes that" Russia didn't meddle, Trump said, walking back convoluted and controversial comments on the subject from one day before. "I believe that he feels that he and Russia did not meddle in the election," Trump said.
"As to whether I believe it or not, I'm with
our agencies — especially as currently constituted," Trump said during a
joint press conference here with Vietnamese President Trần Đại Quang
Sunday morning local time.
Trump: I Believe Putin Believes Russia Didn't Interfere with 2016 Election2:34
It's some of the clearest terms Trump has used
on the issue, saying he believes U.S. intelligence agencies, while also
continuing to push for better relations with Russia so as to deal
successfully on other issues.
But his language was notable, considering his
comments Saturday where he bashed intelligence officials in charge
during the Obama administration. "They're political hacks," the
president said of former CIA Director John Brennan, fired FBI Director
James Comey, and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.
But even after those men left their respective agencies, the conclusions relating to Russia's interference in the 2016 election have not changed.
Trump sparked a firestorm on Saturday when he
told reporters aboard Air Force One that he once again heard denials
from Putin during short conversations they shared at APEC, and "[Putin]
said he absolutely did not meddle in our election. He did not do what
they are saying he did."
But the president was unclear on whether or
not he believed Putin's denials, saying at the time: "Every time [Putin]
sees me he says, 'I didn't do that' and I really believe that when he
tells me that, he means it."
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticized the comments, saying in a statement: "There's nothing 'America First' about taking the word of a KGB colonel over that of the American intelligence community." Related: Facebook Says Russian-Backed Election Content Reached 126M Americans
Pressed on whether or not he believed Putin, Trump at the Hanoi appearance preferred to focus on other things.
"Look," he said, "I can't stand there and
argue with him. I would rather have him get out of Syria, to be honest
with you. I would rather ... get to work with him on the Ukraine,"
Syria, and other issues of concern to the global community.
"What he believes is what he believes. What I believe is that we have to get to work," Trump said.
He made a similar point on Twitter Sunday
morning, lashing out at the “haters and fools” who he said need to
realize that “having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing.”
“There [sic] always playing — politics — bad
for our country. I want to solve North Korea, Syria, Ukraine, terrorism,
and Russia can greatly help!”
Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on the
conclusions of the U.S. intelligence community about Russian
interference in the election. A report published in January
said that Putin ordered an influence campaign "to undermine public
faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and
harm her electability and potential presidency," and that "Putin and the
Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect
Trump."
House and Senate Intelligence committees are
investigating alleged Russian interference in the election. Special
counsel Robert Mueller is also investigating. A former Trump campaign
manager Paul Manafort and Manafort's longtime business associate were indicted on charges of money laundering and other counts less than a week before Trump departed for Asia.
Manafort and Rick Gates have pleaded not
guilty. The charges center on lobbying work before Manafort joined the
Trump campaign. George Papadopoulos, who had been a foreign policy
adviser to Trump during the campaign,has pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents about his contacts with Kremlin-connected Russians.
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