Trump defies US intel, says Russia not targeting US

Washington, July 18 

President Donald Trump contradicted US intelligence agencies again on Wednesday, saying that Russia was not still targeting the United States, and accused his critics of being deranged.

The day after he tried to quiet a political uproar over his failure to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin during their Helsinki summit over 2016 US election meddling, Trump adopted his defiant posture and dismissed assessments of Russia from the intelligence community.

“We’re doing very well, probably as well as anybody has ever done with Russia. And there’s been no President ever as tough as I have been on Russia,” Trump said before a Cabinet meeting at the White House, adding that Putin “understands it and he’s not happy about it.”

Asked by reporters whether Russia was still targeting the US, Trump shook his head and said, “No”. — Reuters

White House defends President

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders has clarified that the President’s “no” was not in answer to a reporter's question, “Is Russia still targeting the US?” She said Trump meant he did not want to answer questions. Sanders said, “The President has made clear to Vladimir Putin that he should stay out of US polls.”