Amid questions over Russian interference in the 2020 election and the Democratic primary, President Donald Trump said he has not received any help from Russia and doesnt want any assistance from foreign powers during his reelection bid.
“First of all, I want no help from any country, and I havent been given help from any country,” Trump told reporters Tuesday.
The White House and Trump over the weekend responded to news reports citing anonymous sources that the Kremlin is again waging a disinformation campaign to get Trump reelected, and later, other reports claimed Russia is also trying to secure Democratic rival Sen. Bernie Sanders election. Those reports were based on a House Intelligence Committee briefing from a Trump administration official earlier this month.
During a news conference in India, Trump said in a press conference that “somebody leaked it in intelligence, but nobody ever told me that.” Pointing to his national security adviser, Robert OBrien, the president then said that “he can tell you that this was never discussed with us.”
In several Sunday television interviews, OBrien disputed the new claims that the Russians are interfering in the 2020 election or are helping Trump.
“I havent seen any intelligence to support the reports that were leaked out of the House. But its just hard to comment on that because, again, I wasnt there,” he told CBS Newss “Face the Nation” on Sunday morning.
Over the past several days, Trump also has highlighted new reports saying the official who briefed lawmakers might have exaggerated the assessment of Russian interference, including a CNN article, saying the “intelligence briefer appears to have overstated assessment of 2020 Russian interference.”
“They ought to stop the leaking from Intelligence Committee,” Trump said in the news conference. “And if they dont stop it, I cant imagine that people are not going to go after them and find out whats happening.”
But hes also focused on reports suggesting the Democratic establishment is concerned about Sanders candidacy after wins in Nevada and New Hampshire, saying that Democratic officials are working to prevent the self-avowed democratic socialist from becoming their partys nominee.
Legacy news outlets have added “Bernie to the list of Russian Sympathizers, along with @TulsiGabbard & Jill Stein (of the Green Party), both agents of Russia, they say,” Trump wrote on Twitter, “but now they report President Putin wants Bernie (or me) to win.”
The president also claimed that House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a longtime foe, orchestrated a leakRead More – Source
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