‘Absurd’ Putin ploy for Kremlin critic splits White House, diplomats

The president said Tuesday that he accepted the USA intelligence community’s conclusion that the meddling took place.

Dori could not believe the stumbling on the president’s part, calling it “beyond credulity” that Trump’s PR experts could not have come up with anything better than “ridiculously trying to flip-flop” on the previous day’s comments.

He did not reverse other statements in which he gave clear credence to Mr Putin’s “extremely strong and powerful” denial of Russian involvement, raised doubts about his own intelligence agencies’ conclusions and advanced discredited conspiracy theories about election meddling.

Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson also defended Trump, but former House Speaker Newt Gingrich – usually a Trump stalwart – said that he had committed “the worst mistake of his presidency”.

President Donald Trump says in an interview with CBS News that he told Russian President Vladimir Putin that the United States won’t tolerate election interference in the future.

“I wish the president hadn’t backtracked, I just wish he’d stuck with what he said originally”, said John from Worcester, Massachusetts. “You know the president can do more damage in 15 minutes at a press conference than we can undo in six months of passing resolutions”. “I have tremendous faith in [Director of National Intelligence] Dan Coats”.

In an editorial, The Wall Street Journal declared the Helsinki summit’s press conference “a personal and national embarrassment”.

Trump has faced bipartisan fury at home since the summit in Finland. “So when he sees that he has misspoken, he comes out and he says that”.

However, he said the problem they face is that Mr Trump’s base can “destroy them”.

And it could lead to increased tensions with the media.

He added: “We got along well which truly bothered many haters who wanted to see a boxing match”.

After Sanders’ comments, McFaul wrote on Twitter, “I hope the White House corrects the record and denounces in categorical terms this ridiculous request from Putin”.

“So certainly, as the leader of a country, you would have to hold him responsible, yes”. Mr. Browder says he never contributed to Ms. Clinton.

The Republican chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, Richard Burr of SC, said if Trump doubts that Russian Federation would again try to intervene, “He needs to read the intelligence”. “This is beyond the pale, as far as I’m concerned”. “Just like I consider myself to be responsible for things that happen in this country”, Trump said in the interview.

Her comments stood in sharp contrast to those of White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who held open the possibility that what Trump called “an incredible offer” is being weighed.

Lost yet? That’s how a growing number of Republican lawmakers feel, as they find themselves defending presidential statements they are having a hard time understanding.

Historically, US presidents traveling overseas put domestic politics aside and represent all the American people, not just their supporters.

Many Republicans in Congress still hew to that view of the Russians.

His discussion with Carlson will come as Trump needs to mend fissures in his support, says Mark Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University in Arlington, Va.

But Trump’s supporters are still behind him.