Donald Trump sides with Russia instead of US intelligence agencies in astonishing news conference
ONE of America’s largest newspapers has attacked Donald Trump on its front cover after his controversial meeting with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki.
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ONE of America’s largest newspapers has launched a scathing attack on Donald Trump following his historic meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland overnight.
Putin admitted he wanted Trump to win the US election but said he did not help his campaign. And Trump said he believed him, despite US intelligence finding otherwise.
That’s prompted The New York Daily News to declare on Tuesday's front page that Trump had committed “Open Treason”.
“New York Daily News cover tomorrow cuts right to the chase.”
The front pages comes as US Republicans and even Trump’s close aides have been left reeling from the fallout of the summit, calling his actions “bizarre”, “shameful” and “disgraceful”.
CNN reports White House officials openly admitted they don’t know how to respond to questions about Trump’s striking declaration that Putin was “extremely strong and powerful in his denial” of election interference.
“How bad was that?” one inquired, seeking to discern the impact of Trump’s words.
Asked if anyone from the administration would resign over the President’s remarks, a senior White House official quipped: “Good question.”
None wholeheartedly defended what the President said, with only one suggesting the President’s remarks were simply his interpretation of how the meeting went.
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Both men denied Russia had colluded with the Trump presidential campaign in 2016, and Mr Putin reiterated his denials of Moscow’s involvement, despite 12 Russians being charged by the US with election interference just days ago.
His denials also came shortly before federal authorities in Washington arrested a Russian woman they believe is a covert Russian agent. Maria Butina, 29, is accused of conspiring to infiltrate American political officials and organisations through her gun-rights contacts.
Asked directly if he had wanted Mr Trump to win the election, Mr Putin replied: “Yes, I did.”
“Yes, I did. Because he talked about bringing the US-Russia relationship (back) to normal.’’
Mr Trump wavered when he was asked if he agreed with US intelligence agencies who say the Russians had been responsible for hacking the computers of his rivals the Democrats.
“I have President Putin — he just said it’s not Russia,’’ Mr Trump said.
“I will say this — I don’t see any reason why it would be.’’
Today’s press conference in #Helsinki was one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.
— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) July 16, 2018
My full statement on the #HelsinkiSummit: https://t.co/lApjctZyZl
“I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today,’’ he said.
Trump again backed Putin in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
“(Putin) said as strongly as you can say it, they have no information on Trump.”
He continued: “And one thing you know: If they had it, it would have been out.”
The US leader said “it’s a shame” that he and Putin had to answer questions about the investigation into Russian election interference.
Putin also spoke to Fox News after his summit with Trump.
The Russian leader said the recent US indictment against 12 Russian military officials accused of hacking crimes during the 2016 presidential election is part of an internal political game.
‘I DON’T TRUST PUTIN’: TURNBULL
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull weighed in on the question of Vladimir Putin’s trustworthiness as President Trump came under fire for his remarks today.
“President Putin himself said ‘you shouldn’t trust anybody,” Mr Turnbull said on Melbourne radio 3AW this morning.
“I certainly don’t trust President Putin when he says he wasn’t responsible for the shooting down of MH17, which occurred four years ago.”
Mr Turnbull added that he found evidence produced by the American intelligence community about Russian interference in the 2016 US Presidential elections to be “very compelling”.
He acknowledged there was a “difference of opinion” about the evidence inside America.
“I can assure you the approach that we’re taking is doing everything we can, including the most stringent laws recently introduced, to protect Australia from foreign interference,” he said.
“We observe the debates within America and they can take their own course but my job as Prime Minister of Australia is to protect Australia from foreign interference and that’s what we’re doing.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop also released a statement calling on Russia to respond to international questions about its role in the downing of MH17 today to mark the fourth anniversary of the tragedy.
“On this day, 298 passengers and crew were killed when a surface-to-air missile shot down the civilian aircraft carrying loved ones home, on holiday and to work,” Ms Bishop said.
“We remember those who lost their lives, especially the 38 people who called Australia home. Our thoughts are also with those who loved and were loved by them. We continue to grieve with them.”
She added: “On 25 May 2018, Australia and the Netherlands announced that we hold Russia responsible for its role in the downing. We hope that through negotiations with Russia we can open dialogue around the circumstances leading to the tragic loss of innocent lives.”
“We owe that to the memory of the victims and their families and friends.”
The Minister also payed tribute to all of the Australians who travelled to Ukraine and the Netherlands to investigate the crash, bring the victims home and “continue to uncover the truth”.
Opposition leader Bill Shorten says he’s on the same page as Mr Turnbull when it comes to President Putin.
“I don’t trust him. Both Malcolm Turnbull and I are on the same page there, as I was with Tony Abbott,” he said today.
“I have never been satisfied that President Putin has ever satisfactorily told the truth to the families of the victims of the Malaysian Airlines flight, which was shot down over eastern Ukraine.”
TRUMP SUMMIT TRIGGERS OUTRAGE
Many in the US have expressed their shock and outrage at the president’s siding with a long-time adversary of America over his own government departments.
Hillary Clinton tweeted: “Great World Cup. Question for President Trump as he meets Putin: Do you know which team you play for?”
She followed it up with, “Well now we know”.
Well, now we know. https://t.co/olQlhzQiuO
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 16, 2018
Senator John McCain called it “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.”
Former CIA Director John Brennan said it was “nothing short of treasonous”.
Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of “high crimes & misdemeanors.†It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???
— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) July 16, 2018
Senator Adam Schiff described Mr Trump’s behaviour at the summit as “the most damaging and shameful surrender of American values and interests in modern history.”
Republican Senator Ben Sasse called it “bizarre”, fellow Republican Senator Jeff Flake used “shameful”, while Lindsey Graham tweeted that it was a “bad day for the US.”
“This was a very good day for President Putin,” Republican Senator Bob Corker, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee declared, adding Trump’s refusal to condemn Russian interference made the US “look like a pushover”.
Republican Will Hurd said he’d seen Russian intelligence manipulate many people during his earlier career in the CIA but he tweeted: “I never would have thought that the US President would become one of the ones getting played by old KGB hands.”
House Speaker Paul Ryan said there’s “no question” that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election.
“The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally,” Ryan said in a statement.
Russia, he said, “remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals.”
Trump ally Newt Gingrich called it “the most serious mistake” of Trump’s presidency - and one that “must be corrected-immediately.”
Democrat Nancy Pelosi said the display “proves that the Russians have something on the President, personally, financially or politically.”
Every single day, I find myself asking: what do the Russians have on @realDonaldTrump personally, financially, & politically? The answer to that question is that only thing that explains his behavior & his refusal to stand up to Putin. #ABetterDeal
— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) July 16, 2018
James Comey, the FBI director fired by Trump, tweeted, “This was the day an American president stood on foreign soil next to a murderous lying thug and refused to back his own country.”
This was the day an American president stood on foreign soil next to a murderous lying thug and refused to back his own country. Patriots need to stand up and reject the behavior of this president.
— James Comey (@Comey) July 16, 2018
In his first tweet following the summit, Mr Trump said he did not want to “focus on the past” when it came to US-Russia relations.
As I said today and many times before, “I have GREAT confidence in MY intelligence people.†However, I also recognize that in order to build a brighter future, we cannot exclusively focus on the past – as the world’s two largest nuclear powers, we must get along! #HELSINKI2018
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 16, 2018
He later tweeted a picture of himself with Putin and the caption: “I would rather take a political risk in pursuit of peace, than to risk peace in pursuit of politics.”
I would rather take a political risk in pursuit of peace, than to risk peace in pursuit of politics. #HELSINKI2018 pic.twitter.com/XdlrJWLPIh
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 16, 2018
In another tweet Trump posted a picture the meeting with Putin and the caption: “A productive dialogue is not only good for the United States and good for Russia, but it is good for the world.”
A productive dialogue is not only good for the United States and good for Russia, but it is good for the world. #HELSINKI2018 pic.twitter.com/Q2Y1PhM9au
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 16, 2018
The indication that Mr Trump appeared to have accepted Mr Putin’s denials came at the end of the first full summit by the leaders of the two nuclear superpowers.
The talks, held on neutral ground in the Finnish capital, saw minor progress made on humanitarian aid for Syrian refugees, trade and diplomatic issues, but no tangible progress on weapons control or the lifting of economic sanctions against Russia.
President Trump’s performance today was the most damaging and shameful surrender of American values and interests in modern history.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) July 16, 2018
I say again to my Republican colleagues: Wake up.
The men also continued to disagree on the future of Crimea and Ukraine, but pledged to work together to help improve the security of Israel.
At the start of their press conference, Mr Putin pointed to co-operation between the two nations on counter-terrorism, military movements in Syria, and commented that “the Cold War is a thing of the past.’’
However, while the pair committed to more talks, no announcements were made about actual reduction of weapons. The two countries hold 90 per cent of the word’s nuclear weapons between them.
Mr Putin said Mr Trump had “mentioned the issue of the so-called interference of Russia during the American elections.
“I had to reiterate things I said several times — including during our personal contact — that the Russian state has never interfered and is not going to interfere into internal American affairs, including election processes,’’ he said.
Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of “high crimes & misdemeanors.†It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???
— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) July 16, 2018
“As to who is to be believed and who is not to be believed, you can trust no-one.
“Where did you get this idea that President Trump trusts me, or I trust him? He defends the interests of the United States of America, and I defend the interests of the Russian Federation.’’
Mr Putin also denied holding any compromising material on Mr Trump or his family, following the release of the so-called “Steele dossier” compiled by former English spy Christopher Steele which claimed the Russians had collected damaging material against Mr Trump during a business trip to Moscow some years ago.
Commenting that he was a former intelligence officer himself, Mr Putin laughed at the question, then appeared to dismiss the claims, saying “I did hear those rumours that we allegedly collected compromising material on Mr Trump when he was visiting Moscow.
“Well … when President Trump visited Moscow back then, I didn’t even know that he was in Moscow … it’s difficult to imagine an utter nonsense on a bigger scale than this. Please, just disregard those issues and don’t think about this anymore again.’’
Mr Trump repeated his earlier claims that the relationship between Russia and the US had “never been worse than it is now.’
He then went on to say “however, that changed as of about four hours ago.’’
A journalist quoted a tweet of Mr Trump’s back to him, where the president had blamed US foolishness, stupidity, and the Russian collusion probe by special counsellor Robert Mueller for the decline in US-Russian relations, and asked Mr Trump if he held Russia “accountable for anything.’’
“Yes, I do. I hold both countries responsible,’’ Mr Trump replied before again attacking the Mueller probe as a “disaster’’ which had driven a wedge between the two countries.
“We ran a brilliant campaign, and that’s why I’m president,’’ he said.
Mr Putin dismissed the collusion charges as “absolute nonsense.’’
He didn’t agree to extradite the 12 Russian spies who have been charged back to America but said American agents could travel to Russia to make inquiries.
But in a quid pro quo, he said the same rules should apply to Bill Browder, the American-born English businessmen who has succeeded in getting the US to introduce anti-corruption laws aimed at Russian offshoring their money.
US ARRESTS RUSSIAN WOMAN AGENT
Hours after the Trump-Putin meeting, federal authorities in Washington arrested a Russian woman they believe is a covert Russian agent.
Maria Butina, 29, is accused of conspiring to infiltrate American political officials and organisations through her gun-rights contacts.
Court documents show that her activities revolved around American politics during the 2016 campaign and included efforts to use contacts with the National Rifle Association and American politicians to gather intelligence for Russia.
Court papers also reveal that an unnamed American who worked with Butina claimed to have been involved in setting up a “private line of communication” ahead of the 2016 election between the Kremlin and “key” officials in an American political party through the NRA.
The court papers do not name the political party mentioned in the October 2016 message, but they contain details that appear to refer to the Republican Party.
Butina, a Russian national who has been living in the US, was charged with conspiracy to act as an unregistered agent of the Russian government. A federal judge in Washington ordered her detained until a hearing set for Wednesday, according to a statement from the Justice Department and Jessie Liu, the US. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
In a statement, Butina’s attorney, Robert Driscoll, called the allegations “overblown” and said prosecutors had criminalised mundane networking opportunities.
Driscoll said Butina was not an agent of the Russian Federation but was instead in the US on a student visa, graduating from American University with a master’s degree in international relations.
“There is simply no indication of Ms Butina seeking to influence or undermine any specific policy or law or the United States - only at most to promote a better relationship between the two nations,” Driscoll said in a statement.
“The complaint is simply a misuse of the Foreign Agent statute, which is designed to punish covert propaganda, not open and public networking by foreign students.”
SCUFFLE BREAKS OUT AT PRESSER
Priot to the leaders speaking at the Presidential Palace, there was a minor drama when a man brandishing a sign was thrown out of the press conference.
The man, who appeared to be an accredited journalist but was later identified as American writer and political activist,Sam Husseini, had left the room earlier after apparently heckling other journalists.
He then returned and held up a sign that read “nuclear weapons ban treaty”.
A scuffle broke out as he was thrown out, minutes before the leaders entered the room.
Earlier, Mr Trump said he hoped for an “extraordinary relationship” with Russia as he kicked off his first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The pair met and shook hands at Finland’s Presidential Palace and briefly fronted the media before heading into their one-on-one meeting.
The two Presidents met just after 2pm local time (9pm AEST last night), sharing a handshake and smile for the cameras, with Mr Trump saying the pair had “a lot of good things to talk about.’’
“We have discussions about trade, to military, to missiles, to nuclear, to China … our mutual friend President Xi,’’ he said.
“We have great opportunities together as two countries that frankly, we have not been getting along very well for the last number of years.
“I think we will end up having an extraordinary relationship. I hope so. I have been saying … that getting along with Russia is a good thing not a bad thing.
“I really think the world wants to see us get along.
“We are the world’s two great nuclear powers. We have 90 per cent of the nuclear and that’s not a good thing, it’s a bad thing.
“I think we can hopefully, we can do something about that. It’s not a positive force, it’s a negative force.’’
Putin’s motorcade included several other vehicles of the same Kortezh, or Aurus family.
Earlier, Mr Trump met with the Finnish President ahead of the summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Speaking before the breakfast meeting, Mr Trump insisted the NATO alliance had never been stronger or more unified.
“NATO’s never been stronger. NATO has never been more together,” he said.
US allies “are now agreeing to pay” their fair share, Trump added.
Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse thanks to many years of U.S. foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 16, 2018
When asked a by a reporter what his message was to Mr Putin, Mr Trump replied: “We’ll see him in a little while … We’ll do just fine.”
Earlier, Mr Trump tweeted that relations with Russia had “never been worse thanks to many years of US foolishness”.
As a member of the European Union but a neutral military country which is not a member of NATO, Finland has hosted such talks before including in 1975 when then-US president Gerald Ford and the then-Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev agreed to abide by the border determined after World War II.
In 1991, former US president George Bush and Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev met in Helsinki to agree on a joint position against then Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Bill Clinton invited Boris Yeltsin to join the Group of Seven advanced economies at a meeting in Helsinki in 1997.
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