KEY MOMENTS BETWEEN TRUMP AND PUTIN
A timeline of key events in the relationship between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as allegations about Russian interference in the 2016 United States presidential election:
› June 18, 2013: Donald Trump, celebrity businessman and reality TV star, tweets “Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow — if so, will he become my new best friend?”
› July 1, 2015: American intelligence agencies believe Russian intelligence penetrated the Democratic National
Committee networks this month and continued to have access until at least June 2016.
› July 27, 2016: Trump, who repeatedly blasted his opponent Hillary Clinton for use of a private email server, invites Russia to hack into her emails. In the final full press conference of his campaign, Trump declares “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.”
› Oct. 7, 2016: The Department of Homeland Security and the director of national intelligence release a statement saying they are confident Russia is behind the email hacks. That same day, just hours after Trump’s “Access Hollywood” tape is released in which he brags about women letting him grab them, WikiLeaks publishes its first batch of emails belonging to Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.
› Dec. 30, 2016 President-elect Trump praises Putin — “I always knew he was very smart!” — for not retaliating against sanctions imposed by President Barack Obama for Russia’s interference in the election.
› Jan. 11, 2017: In a news conference, Trump denies he has any contacts with Russia and denies salacious allegations made against him in a dossier compiled by a former British intelligence officer.
› Jan. 25, 2017: Five days after Trump’s inauguration, congressional investigations are opened into Russia’s meddling in the election. Several Trump campaign and administration officials have testified or are expected to do so. › Feb. 13, 2017:
National Security Adviser Michael Flynn resigns after misleading administration officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, over contacts with Russian officials.
› March 20, 2017: FBI Director James Comey confirms in Senate testimony that there is a counterintelligence investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.
› May 9, 2017: Trump fires Comey. The next day, during an Oval Office meeting with Russian officials, he calls Comey “a nut job” and says his dismissal relieved “great pressure” due to the Russian investigation, according to The New York Times.
› June 2, 2017: Putin ridicules the allegations of Russian meddling in U.S. elections, accusing the Democrats of trying to shift blame for their defeat and likening the accusations against Russia to anti-Semitism.
› June 23, 2017: Trump, in a tweet, casts doubt on the assessment made by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia was behind the election hack. He has done this repeatedly since the election.
› July 6, 2017: In Poland a day ahead of his first meeting with Putin since taking office, Trump criticizes Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and its support for regimes in Iran and Syria.