POST-OUTRAGE, TRUMP SAYS HE MISSPOKE ON RUSSIA MEDDLING
Used the word ‘would’ instead of ‘wouldn’t’, claims Prez
Washington, July 18: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that he believes in the assessment of his Intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in American elections in 2016 and his remarks contrary to this a day earlier in Helsinki was a case of misspeaking.
Mr Trump said that he misspoke. “I have full faith and support for America's great intelligence agencies, always have. It should've been obvious, I thought it would be obvious, but I would like to clarify just in case I wasn’t. A key sentence in my remarks, I said the word “would” instead of “wouldn’t”. The sentence should have been I don’t see any reason why I wouldn’t or why it wouldn’t be Russia,” he said.
Washington, July 18: US President Donald Trump on Wednesdsay said that he believes in the assessment of his intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in American elections in 2016 and his remarks contrary to this a day earlier in Helsinki was a case of misspeaking.
His statement came after he faced a barrage of criticism from his opponents and even from his own party for not backing the American intelligence community's assessment during a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on Monday.
“I have full faith and support for America’s great intelligence agencies, always have. 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 and I've said this many times, I accept our intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election took place,” Trump said.
“Could be other people also. A lot of people out there. There was no collusion at all, and people have seen that and they’ve seen that strongly. The House has already come out very strongly on that, a lot of people have come out strongly on that,” he said amidst a national political outrage over his remarks that the Russians did not interfere in the 2016 presidential elections. At the Helsinki press meet, Trump said “I don’t see any reason why it would be” Russia that meddled in the US election.
Trump, however, said that he misspoke.
“It should’ve been obvious, I thought it would be obvious, but I would like to clarify just in case I wasn’t. A key sentence in my remarks, I said the word ‘would’ instead of ‘wouldn’t’. The sentence should have been I don’t see any reason why I wouldn’t or why it wouldn’t be Russia,” he said.
“So just to repeat it, I said the word ‘would’ instead of ‘wouldn’t’, and the sentence should have been —- and I thought I would be maybe a little bit unclear on the transcript or unclear on the actual video. The sentence should have been, ‘I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia,” said the US President.
— PTI