Trump Copying Nixon With the GOP, the Public, or Both: Very Hard to Tell Right Now

America's newest political dilemma: Blind, Deaf, and Dumb

Divided More than Ever

Bloomberg via MSN – President said confused for the full third day about Russian meddling in our elections by saying he thought Russia isn’t currently targeting the U.S.,” that diverges from a public statement his own national intelligence director made two days earlier by the DNI Dan Coats (R-IN).

After a reporter asked during a cabinet meeting whether Russia was still targeting the U.S., Trump first tried to avoid answering by telling the assembled media “thank you this ending the questions” usually a sign that he won’t take any questions. But he then lowered his voice and responded, “No.”

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee-Sanders later said Trump’s “no” meant that he didn’t want to take questions. She said the administration is taking measures on Russian meddling “to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.”

“We believe the threat still exists,” she said.

Sanders’s explanation of Trump’s response was met with skepticism inside the White House briefing room and outside. “Do I believe that? No” said Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) when he was asked about Sanders’ interpretation.

The exchange raised further questions about Trump’s true position on the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the U.S. intelligence community’s consensus that Moscow interfered in the 2016 election and is still trying to undermine American democratic institutions. 

Trump made stronger remarks in an interview later on Wednesday (July 18) with CBS News anchor Jeff Glor, saying he holds Putin personally responsible for Russian interference in U.S. elections, saying in part: “Because he’s in charge of the country. Just like I consider myself to be responsible for things that happen in this country.” 

Trump then added that he told Putin: “We can’t have meddling.”

Trump provoked fierce bipartisan criticism after joining with Putin on Monday, at a summit in Helsinki, to question U.S. findings that the Kremlin meddled in the election and criticize the Department of Justice investigation that followed. 

DNI Coats issued a statement on Monday after the Helsinki news conference saying, “We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and their ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy.” 

Trump said at the news conference in Helsinki that he gave equal weight to Coats’s assertions that Moscow interfered in the election and to Putin’s denials. 

(My note: See more on this time line and background in my post that follows).

This story continues at the Bloomberg link. 

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