Trump dares Russia to hack Clinton’s email
Nominee defends taunts as allies say he was just joking
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump dared a foreign government to commit espionage on the U.S. to hurt his rival Wednesday, smashing yet another taboo in American political discourse and behavior.
“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’ll be able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” he said, referring to deleted emails from the private account Hillary Clinton used as secretary of state. “I think you’ll probably be rewarded mightily by our press.”
Trump made the taunt during a news conference in Doral, Fla., in which he also suggested the Geneva Convention treaties protecting prisoners of war are outdated, told a reporter asking a question to “be quiet” and said the fact that the Democratic National Committee may have been hacked was because foreign leaders lack respect for the U.S. government.
He also called President Barack Obama “the most ignorant president in our history,” alleged that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had disparaged Obama with “the n-word,” and inaccurately paraphrased Obama speaking in a stereotype of African-American dialect.
“His views of the world, as he says, ‘don’t jive,’ ” Trump said. Obama had recently used the word “jibe” in contrasting his views with Trump’s.
Trump was hoping to use the news conference to deride Democrats for failing to focus on Islamic State during their nominating convention this week and Clinton for holding no news conferences in nearly a year.
The comments urging Russia to hack Clinton immediately drew widespread attention because they lend the impression that Trump is actively encouraging another country to commit a crime against the U.S. to directly affect the presidential election. If the emails are hacked and Trump wins, it also could make him appear beholden to foreign interests.
The unprecedented comments in a campaign that has pushed multiple bound- aries came after days of i ncreased i nterest in Trump’s relationship with Russia, his statements that he might renege on U.S. commitments to defend NATOallies against Russian aggression and his frequently espoused admiration for Putin.
“This undoubtedly sends a message to Russia that Trump is, at best, a fan, and at worst, manipulable and a bit of a loose cannon,” said Olga Oliker, director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
State Department spokesman John Kirby refused to comment, saying that the nation’s diplomats were staying out of politics.
Allies of Trump, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, asserted that the candidate was joking. But Trump did not back down when asked whether it concerned him that another government may have Clinton’s emails. “No, it gives me no pause,” he said, adding that what gives him pause is Clinton’s destruction of the messages.
“If Russia or China or any other country has those emails, I’ve got to be honest with you. I’d love to see Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks Wednesday in Doral, Fla., where he said foreign leaders lack respect for the U.S. government and criticized President Obama. them,” he added.
Shortly after the news conference, Trump tweaked his position further on Twitter, suggesting that any hacked emails should be shared with law enforcement rather than him or the public: “If Russia or any other country or person has Hillary Clinton’s 33,000 illegally deleted emails, perhaps they should share them with the FBI!”
Experts suspect that Russian agents are behind the hack and release of Democratic Party officials’ emails last week that showed party leaders discussing ways to undermine Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ primary campaign against Clinton.
The Trump campaign seemed well aware of the potential for damage in his latest comments, quickly issuing a follow-up statement from Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, his running mate, that called on punishment for the hackers.
“If it is Russia and they are interfering in our elections, I can assure you both parties and the United States government will ensure there are serious consequences,” Pence said. “That said, the Democrats [are] singularly focusing on who might be behind it and not addressing the basic fact that they’ve been exposed as a party who not only rigs the government, but rigs elections while literally accepting cash for federal appointments is outrageous.”
Democrats quickly seized on Trump’s comments as evidence in their argument that he lacks the temperament and judgment to lead the country.
“What Donald Trump did today needs to be examined not through a political lens, but this is a national security issue now,” said Robby Mook, Clinton’s campaign manager.