Despite messaging that would suggest otherwise, President Donald Trump has known since January 2017 that Russian President Vladimir Putin orchestrated the Kremlin-backed attacks on the 2016 election, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
Just before his inauguration, Trump was shown texts and email proof of Russia’s hacking efforts and disinformation campaign. During that Jan. 6, 2017 meeting, Trump was briefed by then-CIA Director John Brennan — who he now regularly criticizes and just recently called a “bad guy” — former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, Director of the National Security Agency Michael Rogers, former FBI Director James Comey and the head of the U.S. Cyber Command.
Trump was shown evidence of the hacked Democratic National Committee emails on Russian intelligence networks and was told about several sources close to Putin who corroborated his role in the hacking, according to several people who attended or were briefed on the meeting, who spoke with the Times.
According to three people who were in attendance, Trump was “grudgingly convinced” of the meddling, in the Times’ words.
Those findings have all been corroborated by his own intelligence officials.
Read the Times’ full story here.