Tag: 2016 Russian election interference

Dems find an unlikely attack dog on Russia

The following article by Katie Bo Williams was posted on the Hill Website November 14, 2017:

© Greg Nash

Adam Schiff isn’t going quiet any time soon — no matter what his Republican colleagues on the House Intelligence Committee might want.

The California Democrat has been a pervasive presence on cable news networks during the panel’s investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election. He has claimed “clear evidence” of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia and last week issued a Twitter screed calling President Trump “the worst president in modern history.”

Schiff’s rising profile hasn’t escaped the notice of the president.“Sleazy Adam Schiff, the totally biased Congressman looking into ‘Russia,’ spends all of his time on television pushing the Dem loss excuse!” Trump tweeted over the summer. Continue reading “Dems find an unlikely attack dog on Russia”

Former U.S. intelligence officials: Trump being ‘played’ by Putin

The following article by John Wagner was posted on the Washington Post website November 12, 2017:

© Getty Images

Two top former U.S. intelligence officials said Sunday that President Trump is being “played” by President Vladi­mir Putin on Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and accused him of being susceptible to foreign leaders who stroke his ego.

“By not confronting the issue directly and not acknowledging to Putin that we know you’re responsible for this, I think he’s giving Putin a pass,” former CIA director John Brennan said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I think it demonstrates to Mr. Putin that Donald Trump can be played by foreign leaders who are going to appeal to his ego and try to play upon his insecurities, which is very, very worrisome from a national security standpoint.”

Appearing on the same program, former director of national intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. said he agrees with that assessment. Continue reading “Former U.S. intelligence officials: Trump being ‘played’ by Putin”

‘He means it’: Trump appears to take Putin’s denial about election meddling at face value

The following article by Amber Phillips was posted on the Washington Post website November 11, 2017:

President Trump on Nov. 11 said he believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin is being truthful when he denies that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election. (Reuters)

While on his way to Hanoi, Vietnam, at the tail end of a 12-day trip across Asia, President Trump spoke with reporters aboard Air Force One after refusing to do press conferences with world leaders. He recapped the reception the Chinese gave him and appeared to accept Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denial about election meddling. Here’s his conversation with reporters, annotated with Genius.com. Click on the highlighted text to read the annotations.  Continue reading “‘He means it’: Trump appears to take Putin’s denial about election meddling at face value”

‘He said he didn’t meddle’: Trump talks with Putin about U.S. elections and Syria in brief interactions

The following article by Ashley Parker, David Nakamura and Karen DeYoung was posted on the Washington Post website November 11, 2017:

President Trump on Nov. 11 said he believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin is being truthful when he denies that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election. (Reuters)

HANOI — President Trump said Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin again denied that Moscow tampered in the U.S. presidential campaign last year.

The two men had brief conversations during a larger meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Danang, Vietnam, before Trump flew to Hanoi for a bilateral meeting Sunday with Vietnamese leaders.

Trump said that he had “two or three” brief conversations with Putin mostly centered on the war in Syria, but added that he pressed the Russian leader on Moscow’s role in attempting to interfere in the 2016 election. Continue reading “‘He said he didn’t meddle’: Trump talks with Putin about U.S. elections and Syria in brief interactions”

Trump won’t argue with Putin over election interference

The following article by Alicia Cohn was posted on the Hill website November 11, 2017:

© Getty Images

President Trump said Saturday he isn’t going to “argue” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who denies that Moscow sought to influence the 2016 presidential election.

“Every time he sees me he says, ‘I didn’t do that,’ and I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One, according to White House pool reports.

“I can’t stand there and argue with him, I would rather have him get out of Syria,” Trump said. “You have President Putin very strongly, vehemently says he has nothing to do with that. Now, you are not going to get into an argument, you are going to start talking about Syria and the Ukraine.” Continue reading “Trump won’t argue with Putin over election interference”