Trump: I misspoke on Russian meddling
US president says he used word ‘would’ instead of ‘wouldn’t’ in bid to calm storm created by comment
Donald Trump last night said he misspoke when he failed to blame Russia for interfering in the 2016 US election during a press conference with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. Mr Trump said he had been surprised by the backlash and that the confusion had been caused by one misplaced word. He said that rather than saying, “I don’t see any reason it would be Russia”, he meant to say, “I don’t see any reason it wouldn’t be Russia”.
DONALD TRUMP last night said he misspoke when he failed to blame Russia for interfering in the US election in 2016 during a joint press conference with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki.
The US president said he had been surprised by the firestorm of criticism that followed his remarks, and that the confusion had been caused by one misplaced word.
It was his second remarkable admission of error in a week after he apologised to Theresa May in the wake of a newspaper interview in which he criticised her handling of Brexit.
At the Helsinki press conference Mr Trump said “I don’t see any reason why it would be” Russia that meddled in the US election, despite all his own intelligence agencies having concluded that it was. Yesterday, Mr Trump made a statement in the Oval Office that he had meant to say the opposite. The president said he wanted to “clarify a key sentence” he spoke in Helsinki.
He said that sentence should have been “I don’t see any reason it wouldn’t be” Russia. Mr Trump added: “I used the word ‘would’ instead of ‘wouldn’t’.”
The president said he thought the summit had gone well and was initially confused by the angry reaction, asking himself “What’s the big deal?”
He then looked at a transcript of his answers and realised he had misspoken, he said. Mr Trump called the sentence he meant to say a “bit of a double negative”. He added: “I think that probably clarifies things pretty much by itself.”
The president added that he had “full faith and support” in US intelligence agencies and accepted their conclusion that Russia was to blame.
While accepting that Russian election interference “took place”, Mr Trump also added: “Could be other people also. A lot of people out there.” He said his administration would move aggressively to repel any efforts to interfere in the US mid-term congressional elections in November.
Mitch Mcconnell, the Republican leader in the US Senate, had publicly countered Mr Trump’s Helsinki comments just before he issued his clarification. Mr Mcconnell said: “There is indisputable evidence that they tried to impact the 2016 election.”
He said: “Make no mistake about it. I would say to our friends in Europe – we understand the Russian threat. That is the widespread view here in the US Senate. The European countries are our friends and the Russians are not.”
Mr Trump had initially been buoyant after the press conference. But when he saw television coverage on Air Force One on his way home, he reportedly became furious and vented at aides about the lack of support he was getting.
Anthony Scaramucci, his former communications director, said Mr Trump made a “strategic mistake”. Newt Gingrich, the former Republican house speaker, called it “the most serious mistake of his presidency,” which “must be corrected immediately”.
Meanwhile, a British businessman threatened by Mr Putin accused Mr Trump of a “Neville Chamberlain” moment. Bill Browder, a London-based financier, was singled out by Mr Putin in what appeared to be a calculated attack during the Helsinki press conference.
Mr Putin suggested he would facilitate US interviews with 12 Russian agents accused of interfering with the 2016 election, but only if Mr Browder could in return be questioned over alleged financial crimes. Mr Browder has forced through US sanctions against powerful Russians over the death of Sergei Magnitsky. Mr Magnitsky died in a Moscow jail almost a decade ago after investigating corruption. The Magnitsky Act was named after him and targets with sanctions Russians accused of human rights offences.
Mr Browder told The Daily Telegraph: “Trump has got himself in a real mess in terms of his Russia policy. Even his most devout supporters are perplexed and at a loss as to why he would behave this way with Putin.”
‘Trump has got into a mess in terms of his Russia policy. Helsinki was Donald Trump’s Neville Chamberlain moment’