Donald Trump backtracks on Russia meddling in US election

In a remarkable backflip, Donald Trump now says he believes US intelligence agencies over Russia interference in the US election.

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. Picture: Getty Images.

In a remarkable backflip, Donald Trump now says he believes US intelligence agencies when they said that Russia was guilty of interference in the US election.

The move followed unprecedented criticism of the US president in Washington, including from his own Republican party.

Mr Trump claimed today that he “misspoke’’ during the press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki about Russian interference.

He said he now “accepts’’ the long-held view of US intelligence agencies which have found that Russia was guilty of the hacking and linking of emails during the 2016 campaign.

At the press conference in Helsinki, Mr Trump said didn’t see any reason why it would be Russia that interfered.

But he told reporters in the White House: “The sentence should have been ‘I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia,’ sort of a double negative. So you can put that

in and I think that probably clarifies things pretty good by itself.’’

The US leader also reiterated what he said was his “full faith and support for America’s great intelligence agencies.”

“I have felt very strongly that while Russia’s actions had no impact at all on the outcome of the election, let me be totally clear in saying that — and I’ve said this many times — I accept our intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election took place,” he said.

Mr Trump added that there “could be other people too,” and he insisted that his campaign never colluded with Moscow.

BREAKING: President Trump claims he misspoke while discussing election meddling during news conference with Putin: "In a key sentence in my remarks, I said the word 'would' instead of 'wouldn't.' ... The sentence should've been: 'I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia'" pic.twitter.com/2bA9EionD1

— NBC News (@NBCNews) July 17, 2018

Mr Trump has faced a hail of criticism both in Washington and around the world over his remarks in Helsinki. Yesterday Malcolm Turnbull broke ranks with the US President and

Australian intelligence officials privately warned that Mr Trump’s “erratic” foreign policy pronouncements are raising serious concerns in the defence establishment.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott also expressed concerns Mr Putin was not met with more force at the Helsinki summit on Monday.

“When the leader of the free world meets with someone who has done so much to damage other countries and has done so much at odds with human decency … it shouldn’t be all smiles,” Mr Abbott told The Australian.

After his summit with the Russian President Mr Trump also gave credence to Mr Putin’s denials of Russian involvement when he said that Mr Putin was “extremely strong

and powerful in his denial.”

But today in his press conference, he offered his “full faith and support for America’s great intelligence agencies,” and noted “tremendous talent” within the US intelligence community.

The president also said that there were no plans to lift sanctions on Russia and that his administration would work hard to thwart further attempts at Russian election meddling in the US.

“We will stop it, we will repel it,” he said. “We’re doing everything in our power to prevent Russian interference in 2018.”

Last night the president appeared to blame the media for the furore over his comments, tweeting: “While I had a great meeting with NATO, raising vast amounts of money, I had an even better meeting with Vladimir Putin of Russia. Sadly, it is not being reported that way — the Fake News is going Crazy!”

While I had a great meeting with NATO, raising vast amounts of money, I had an even better meeting with Vladimir Putin of Russia. Sadly, it is not being reported that way - the Fake News is going Crazy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 17, 2018

Standing alongside Mr Putin on Monday, Mr Trump questioned the US intelligence conclusion that Moscow meddled in the 2016 election and attacked his Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, describing the probe into whether his associates colluded with Russia’s efforts to interfere in the election as a “disaster for our country” that has undermined US relations with Moscow.

Yesterday, key figures in Mr Trump’s own Republican Party accused him of abasing himself before an autocrat, while former CIA director John Brennan went as far as calling Mr Trump’s support for Mr Putin “treasonous”.

Republican elder statesman John McCain, who has been savagely criticised by Mr Trump in the past, described his supportive comments of Mr Putin early yesterday as “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory”.

Trump supporter and former GOP speaker Newt Gingrich ­described Mr Trump’s attack on the credibility of US intelligence as “the most serious mistake of his presidency”.

Republican Senator Rand Paul was among the few GOP politicians speaking out in support of Mr Trump’s efforts to engage with world leaders.

“The president is different than many leaders we’ve had who basically will litigate things to death and not meeting with people,” Mr Paul told PBS late Monday. “I think Trump is different in that he is willing to meet with foreign leaders and actually I think you may get a breakthrough because of the meetings.”

Mr Trump acknowledged Mr Paul’s comments on Tuesday, tweeting, “Thank you @RandPaul” then quoting other remarks of the senator: “The President has gone through a year and a half of totally partisan investigations — what’s he supposed to think?”

Thank you @RandPaul. “The President has gone through a year and a half of totally partisan investigations - what’s he supposed to think?”

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 17, 2018

Mr Putin, asked in Helsinki if he trusted Mr Trump, replied: “One cannot believe anyone. What made you think that President Trump trusts me and I trust him? He protects the interests of the United States of America, and I protect the interests of the Russian Federation.”

Mr Trump’s meeting with Mr Putin came after tense discussions with member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in Brussels over their failure to meet alliance guidelines for military spending. He also criticised the UK’s Brexit policies in a three day visit to Britain, embarassing British Prime Minister Theresa May. He later apologised to Mrs May.