Again contradicting his director of national intelligence, President Donald Trump said Wednesday that “no,” Russia is not still targeting the United States.
“Is Russia still targeting the U.S.?” a reporter asked Trump in the Cabinet Room Wednesday.
“No,” the President replied.
That contradicted a statement his director of national intelligence made just days ago.
“Today, the digital infrastructure that serves this country is literally under attack,” DNI Dan Coats said Friday, a few days before Trump met privately with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Also on Friday, Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers for the hacking, theft and distribution of Democratic emails during the 2016 election.
The “worst offenders,” Coats said Friday, are Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.
Russia, Coats said, is the “most aggressive foreign actor, no question. And they continue their efforts to undermine our democracy.”
Trump added Wednesday: “We are doing very well, probably as well as anybody as anybody has ever done, with Russia. And there’s been no president ever as tough as I have been on Russia.”
