Trump Denies Russia Is Targeting U.S. At Cabinet Meeting
(CBS News) -- President Trump has denied that Russia is currently targeting the U.S., despite the intelligence community's findings. Mr. Trump made the assertion Wednesday at his first Cabinet meeting since spending a week overseas, where he cast doubt on existing international alliances and neglected to rebuke Russian President Vladimir Putin for Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. election.
After spending a majority of the meeting highlighting the country's economic successes, Mr. Trump told reporters that there's "never been a president as tough on Russia as I have been."
"President Putin knows that better than anybody, he understands it and he's not happy about it," he added.
When pressed on if Russia was still targeting the U.S. and its election system, Mr. Trump replied, "Thank you very much, no."
Asked to clarify the president's remarks by CBS News' Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett during Wednesday's press briefing, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders claimed that the president's "no" was in reference to answering questions.
"The president and administration is working very hard to making sure Russia is unable to meddle in our elections as they have done in the past and as we have stated," said Sanders.
"So he does believe it's going on?," Garrett pressed. Sanders replied: "Well, since there's currently not an election today, not specifically, but we certainly believe that we are taking steps to make sure they can't do it again. Unlike previous administrations, this President is actually taking a bold action and reform to make sure it doesn't happen again, but he does believe that they would target, certainly, U.S. elections again."
Mr. Trump's latest comment comes in direct contrast to Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats' statement released shortly after the president's summit in Helsinki, which said the intelligence community has "been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and their ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy." It's the second time Mr. Trump has contradicted Coats, previously telling CBS Evening News anchor Jeff Glor that he doesn't know if he necessarily agrees with Coats' warning about the "critical" threat of potentially devastating cyberattacks targeting U.S. systems.
The president's latest flip on his top intel chief's statement is already drawing reaction from Capitol Hill. Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, told reporters that "everything I've seen from the intelligence community suggests Russia is interfering with the 2018 election."
Graham added, "I'd be curious to find why the President doesn't believe that" latest suggesting that Mr. Trump "needs to explain to the American people why he rejects the intelligence assessment about their ongoing activity against our democracy."
During Wednesday's meeting however, Mr. Trump appeared to pivot, instead touting his summit with NATO leaders in Brussels, his visit to the UK and summit with Putin, saying "incredible progress" had been made. He said such his meetings in Europe were a "tremendous success" and that results will "play out for a number of years."
On Tuesday in an effort to dispel concerns that the president still had doubts over his own intelligence communities reports, Mr. Trump claimed he accepts the findings of the U.S. intelligence community that Russians interfered in the 2016 election. He also said he misspoke when he suggested otherwise in a widely criticized press conference with Putin on Monday.
"I have full faith and support for America's great intelligence agencies, I always have," Mr. Trump said. "And 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 have said this many times, I accept our intelligence community's conclusion that Russia's meddling in the 2016 election took place. It could be other people, also. There are lots of people out there."
The president tweeted earlier Wednesday, saying that even "higher ends" of the intelligence community "loved" his press conference with Putin, teasing that "big results will come" from it.
At Wednesday's meeting, Mr. Trump also previewed a "big" announcement on the administration's workforce training initiatives, an agenda item his eldest daughter and White House adviser Ivanka Trump has been working closely on.
Trump said her father will be taking "another important step to prioritize vocational education" by signing and executive order to establish the national council of the american worker and advisory board, co-chaired by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.
"Recognizing the American workforce is our greatest national asset," Trump said.
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