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U.S. President Donald Trump spent a second day managing the political fallout of his much-criticized meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin, changing positions and eliminating what the White House called anomalies.
His harshness with the long-time US foe he told the Russian president face-to-face at Monday's summit not to participate in US elections "and that's how it's going pbad."
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Russia continues to sow discord in the United States, says FBI director
This rhetoric marked a turning point in Trump's first optimistic description of his seat with Putin. Still, Trump has backtracked on whether Russia is currently targeting the US elections. When asked on Wednesday, he answered "no," an answer that contradicted recent public warnings from his own secret service
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The zigzag has laid bare the White House 's search for a way forward that tainted the administration' s discussions on Russia from the very beginning, but which flew away after Trump's trip to Helsinki. After days of criticism from both Democrats and Republicans, Trump – a politician who celebrates his ruthless political inaccuracy – has appeared more sensitive than usual to the outlandish opprobrium.
WATCH: Trump says he's holding Putin responsible for election interference after days
The magnitude of the bipartisan outcry at Trump's stance toward Putin has not It was rivaled only by its disagreement in 2017 on the condemnation of white supremacist demonstrators in Charlottesville, Virginia.
"I let him know we can not have this" Trump told CBS News about his conversations with Putin. "We will not have it, and that's how it will be."
Would he personally condemn Putin as responsible for any electoral interference? "I would, because he's in charge of the country."
The CBS interview came at the end of two days of changing statements.
On Monday, Trump appeared to question the findings of US intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
Trump clarified the summit's comments with Putin twice the White House says
His reservations, expressed 18 months in his presidency and while he was standing near Putin on foreign soil, provoked fearsome critics at home, even on Tuesday he delivered a written statement to "clarify" – his word – his remarks Monday. He said that he was mistaken in saying that he saw no reason to believe that Russia had interfered in the 2016 US elections.
On Wednesday, he was asked at A cabinet meeting if Russia was still targeting the United States. "It was a few days after the director of national intelligence, Dan Coats, sounded the alarm, comparing the cyberthreat to the way the US authorities were saying before 9/11. Intelligence Channels Blinked in Red and Heralded an Impending Terrorist Attack 1945-10004] WATCH: Trump says he holds Putin responsible for electoral interference after days of confusion
Press Secretary White House's Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Wednesday that Trump was refusing to answer any other questions – even though he then went on to "The President is wrong," said GOP Senator Susan Collins of Maine about Trump's one-word answer She said Sanders had clarified since then, she replied, "Is there a reverse gear reversing back? Trump refined and honed his presentation in the two days following Helsinki.
At the press conference with Putin, he was asked if he would denounce what happened in 2016 and warned Putin never to do it. again, and he did not answer directly. Instead, he went in for a ragged response, including inquiries on Hillary Clinton's e-mail server and his description of Putin's "extremely strong and powerful" denial of interference .
Trump baderted Wednesday at the White House that no other US president has been so harsh on Russia. He cited US sanctions and the expulsion of alleged US spies from the United States, telling reporters that Putin "understands him, and he is not happy about it."
Confused waters have compounded critics' concerns that Trump is not threatening America's electoral system is serious enough. Boosting the reasons why Trump has repeatedly missed opportunities to publicly condemn Putin's actions, Sanders suggested that Trump was working to take advantage of an "opportunity" for the two leaders to work together. on shared interests. an "incredible offer" from Putin to allow the United States to access the Russians accused of electoral piracy and other interference. In exchange, Putin wants Russian interviews with Americans accused by the Kremlin of unspecified crimes.
Sanders said Trump was still weighing the offer with his team, adding, "We have nothing to do." Russian officials said that they wanted to interview Kremlin critics Bill Browder and the former US ambbadador to Russia Michael McFaul
WATCH: The majority of Americans disapproved of the handling of Trump in Russia, according to polls
McFaul tweeted Wednesday that he hoped the White House would denounce Putin's ridiculous claim. "
Legislators urged Trump to reject the case.
" We will ensure that Congress does everything it can to protect this country, "said Senator Cory Gardner, R-Colo., Who Leads the GOP Campaign Arm
A number of Senators quickly sign a bipartisan Sense Bill. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., And Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Who would slap new sanctions against Russia or anything "
Sanders called the legislation" hypothetical "and declined to say if the president would support it.
Van Hollen said that Trump" did not not want COMMENT: Trump should summon another summit to tell Putin what he really meant
Two other lawmakers, Sens. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Chris Coons, D-Del ., Will try to force a vote on Thursday on a resolution supporting the conclusions of the intelligence community that Russia has interfered in the 2016 elections and must be held accountable. Republican senate committee chairman Richard Burr of South Carolina said that if Trump doubted that Russia would again try to intervene, "He needs to read the intelligence."
At the Hudson Institute think tank in Washington last Friday, Coats said, "We do not yet see the kind of voter interference in specific states and voter databases that we have experienced in 2016; However, we realize that we are only one click away from a similar situation. "
His comments came on the same day as the Department of Justice unveiled an act of Charge against 12 Russian military intelligence officers for their role in piracy groups during the 2016 campaign.
WATCH: Trump continues to face the reaction of his own party against the controversial bail of Putin [19659033] "The president was completely wrong", Michael Morell, former deputy and acting director of the CIA said about Trump's remarks after the cabinet meeting. "The Russians continue to interfere in our democracy.In fact, they have never stopped."
Contrary to the US government's fears that preceded the 2016 presidential elections, the piracy of the US national electoral infrastructure appeared to be at the expense of the salacious documents of the National Democratic Committee and House Democrats.The success of the apparent repetition does not bode well for the next electoral cycles in 2018 and 2020, then that intelligence leaders have noted the growing and continuing threat of Russian pirates.
At least 18 states have had their electoral systems targeted in one way or another, and perhaps up to 18 years ago. At 21 found a scan of their networks for possible vulnerabilities, according to a report released in May by the Select Senate Committee on Intelligence.
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