Trump says he misspoke on Russian election meddling
After massive pressure was applied on him by his own party's members, US president Trump admits Russia meddled in 2016 elections; however, according to Trump, Russia's meddling had no effect; former CIA agent says Russia has been and will continue manipulating US elections.
The Washington political playbook called for President Donald Trump to make clear—and fast—that the US wasn't in the pocket of Russia President Vladimir Putin. On Tuesday, Trump relented, saying he misspoke on Russian election meddling.
Trump was under tremendous pressure by his own party to apologize for his remarks. With Putin at his side, Trump said Monday he didn't "see any reason why" Russia would try to interfere in the US election, speaking at a press conference during his summit meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin on July 16.
"He's got to reverse course immediately," said Anthony Scaramucci, who briefly served as Trump's White House communications director, told CNN early Tuesday.
Newt Gingrich, a close ally to Trump, called it "the most serious mistake of his presidency" and tweeted that it "must be corrected immediately."
House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell both piled on. Ryan said "there should be no doubt" about Russia's actions, while McConnell cited a "widespread view" among senators that Russia poses a threat to the US.
Early Tuesday morning, Trump was blaming "Fake News" on Twitter for mischaracterizing his meeting with Putin. Then just hours later, he sharply reversed course, telling reporters he misspoke and that he meant to say he doesn't see why Russia "wouldn't" be responsible for election interference. However, Trump stressed Russia's meddling had no effect on the elections' outcome.
Trump remains under investigation for obstruction of justice, and special counsel Robert Mueller last week laid out detailed indictments of 12 Russian military officers for hacking Democrats' computers. Meanwhile, Republicans this fall will have to defend their majority in Congress by running against Democrats who claim Trump has bowed to Putin, a former KGB spy.
Some lawmakers talked about passing a resolution denouncing Russia's election meddling, or even considering new sanctions against Moscow. But those moves are unlikely to change much in the minds of American voters or keep Russia from interfering in future elections. (Congressional resolutions don't carry the force of law.)
On Tuesday, some senators said they wanted to hold hearings on the matter, including testimony from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on what exactly happened during Trump's private two-hour meeting with Putin.
"The Russians have been manipulating elections for the past couple of decades," Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, a former undercover CIA officer, told CNN. "And guess what? They're going to continue."
