Trump ‘open to foreign help in digging dirt on political rivals’

DONALD TRUMP was accused of inviting further interference in US elections yesterday after he suggested he would be open to accepting “dirt” on political opponents from foreign powers.

The US president said he would gladly take incriminating information about an opponent from adversaries such as Russia, flying in the face of the FBI director’s recommendations.

Leading Democrats seized on the comments, suggesting Mr Trump was inviting Russian help in the 2020 presidential election.

Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, said Mr Trump’s suggestions were “disgraceful” and “shocking”.

Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader of the House of Representatives, said: “The president gave us evidence once again he does not know right from wrong.” Both Mrs Pelosi and Mr

‘The president gave us evidence once again he does not know right from wrong’

Schumer called for legislation making it a requirement for candidates to report any efforts by foreign governments to influence American elections.

Under US law it is a crime for a candidate to accept money or anything of value from foreign governments for the purpose of winning an election. However there is dispute among legal scholars whether incriminating information constitutes a thing of value.

Asked what he would do if Russia, China or other foreign governments offered his 2020 re-election campaign information on an opponent, he said: “There’s nothing wrong with listening … I think I’d want to hear it.”

Mr Trump also scoffed at the idea of calling the FBI, saying “life doesn’t work that way”. However, he did concede he would call the agency “if I thought there was something wrong” with the information.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Mr Trump, said: “It should be practice for all public officials who are contacted by a foreign government… to inform the FBI and reject the offer.”

 Mr Trump said Sarah Sanders, his press secretary, would step down at the end of the month, and urged her to run for governor of Arkansas, her home state, saying she had done an “incredible job”. It is unclear what prompted her to quit after three and a half years.

She faced criticism for ending daily press briefings, and from the Mueller report for giving contradictory information to the press and investigators.