Russia and Putin · First term · № 36
Said he believed Putin 'means it' when he denies election interference
“He just—every time he sees me, he says, "I didn't do that." And I believe—I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it.”
- Said
- , Aboard Air Force One en route from Da Nang to Hanoi, Vietnam
- Subject
- Da Nang APEC summit
- Type
- Intelligence and security
- Topic
- Elections
- Era
- First term
What happened
After brief conversations with Putin at the APEC summit in Da Nang, Trump told reporters on November 11, 2017, that Putin had again denied interfering in the 2016 election and was 'very insulted' by the accusation, and that he would rather work with him on Syria and Ukraine than argue. In the same exchange he called former officials John Brennan, James Clapper and James Comey 'political hacks'. The CIA said in response that Director Mike Pompeo stood by the intelligence assessment on Russian election meddling, which 'has not changed'. At a news conference in Hanoi the next day, Trump said he believed Putin 'feels that he and Russia did not meddle' and added: 'As to whether I believe it or not, I'm with our agencies, especially as currently constituted with their leadership.'