President Donald Trump cast doubt on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election ahead of his first state meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
While speaking to reporters at a press conferenced in Warsaw, Poland on Thursday, Trump was asked why he has generally shied away from blaming the Kremlin for attempting to hack the November election. In response, Trump said that, “I think it was Russia, but I think it was probably other people and/or countries.”
“I see nothing wrong with the statement,” he added. “Nobody really knows, nobody really knows for sure.”
Earlier this year, U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Putin directed cyberattacks on the Democratic National Committee before the election in the hopes that it would bring down Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
The FBI and Congress have for months been investigating the Trump campaign’s communications with Russian officials. Former national security adviser Michael Flynn, a close Trump ally, resigned in February over his conversations with the Russian ambassador.
Trump arrived in Poland late Wednesday and met with Eastern European leaders Thursday morning. He was expected to deliver an address to the public later on Thursday.
On Friday, he will meet with Putin and other world leaders at a G-20 summit in Germany. There’s no official agenda for his meeting with the Putin, but he’s expected to bring up Russia’s role in the Syrian civil war as well as its annexation of Crimea.
Source: HuffPost
