Russia and Putin · 2016 campaign · № 17
Told Larry King, in an interview aired on RT, that Russian election interference was 'probably unlikely'
“I think it's probably unlikely. I think maybe the Democrats are putting that out. Who knows? But I think that it's pretty unlikely. But, you know, who knows?”
- Said
- , Telephone interview with Larry King for Ora TV's PoliticKING, aired on RT America
- Subject
- Russian interference
- Type
- Intelligence and security
- Topic
- Elections
- Era
- 2016 campaign
What happened
King asked what Trump thought of U.S. intelligence and law-enforcement agencies investigating whether Russia was trying to disrupt the election. Trump added that if Russia was doing something he hoped 'somebody's going to be able to find out so they can end it because it wouldn't be appropriate at all', and, asked whether he agreed with Putin that the DNC hack was a public service, said: 'I don't have any opinion on it. I don't know anything about it. I don't know who hacked.' RT America, which is owned by the Russian government, held the U.S. broadcast rights to King's program under a syndication deal with Ora TV; campaign aide Steven Cheung said Trump 'recorded a short interview with Larry King for his podcast as a favor to Mr. King', and Kellyanne Conway said 'Nobody said it would be on Russian TV.' On October 7, 2016 the Department of Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence stated that the intelligence community was 'confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails from US persons and institutions, including from US political organizations'.
Sources
- Donald Trump: Russian interference in U.S. election "unlikely"
- Explaining Donald Trump interview that aired on Russian TV
- Trump Camp Says Appearance on Russian Propaganda TV Was an Accident and/or Larry King's Fault
- Joint Statement from the Department Of Homeland Security and Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Election Security