Trump to Russia: Spy, spy again
Apparent invitation for Russians to meddle in U.S. election raises eyebrows, puts Republican party on the defensive
PHILADELPHIA— The Republican presidential nominee looked straight at the camera and addressed the Russians suspected of hacking the Democratic National Committee.
He wasn’t scolding them. He was encouraging them.
In a statement perhaps more extraordinary than any other of his gonzo campaign, Donald Trump asked Russian intelligence on Wednesday to find a way to obtain the personal emails Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton deleted from her controversial private server
He was asking, almost explicitly, for Russia to spy on America, to crack the computers of his political opponent or the State Department, and to meddle in the election.
“Russia, if you’re listening: I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” Trump said at a thoroughly bizarre news conference at his resort in Doral, Fla.
“I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press. Let’s see if that happens.”
The explosive invitation to a foreign government alarmed virtually everyone else in U.S. politics and appeared to catch even his own campaign off guard. Aides and surrogates scrambled to offer implausible and contradictory explanations.
Trump was just making a “joke,” ally Newt Gingrich wrote on Twitter. Trump was not egging on hackers, said senior adviser Jason Miller, just inviting Russia or anyone else in possession of the emails to “share them with the FBI immediately.”
Trump’s remarks distracted from the third day of the Democratic National Convention, where U.S. President Barack Obama, vice-president Joe Biden, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and vicepresidential nominee Tim Kaine spoke in prime time.
And they created more headaches for the mainstream Republicans, like House Speaker Paul Ryan, who have swallowed their tongues to support their unorthodox nominee.
“Russia is a global menace led by a devious thug. Putin should stay out of this election,” a spokesman for Ryan told U.S. media outlets.
Trump made it clearer than ever on Wednesday that he does not agree with the consensus assessment of the Russian leader.
Even as his ties to Putin have come under increasing scrutiny, he has continued to aggressively defend the interests of a country his party considers an adversary.
Trump triggered a global wave of concern when he said last week that he might not come to the defence of NATO allies he felt had not paid their fair share of alliance dues. On Wednesday, he said he would be “looking at” recognizing Russia’s annexation of the Crimea and lifting related sanctions.
He also praised the leadership style of a man with authoritarian tenden- cies, saying, “Putin has much better leadership qualities than Obama, but who doesn’t know that?” Without evidence, he suggested that Putin had used “the N-word” in relation to Obama, and that Obama himself was to blame for the alleged racial slur.
“He (Putin) has a total lack of respect for President Obama,” Trump said.
Trump’s musings on Russia were the most incendiary part of the news conference, but they might not have been the strangest. Though Kaine is a senator and former governor from Virginia, Trump three times referred to him as a representative of New Jersey, misstated the name of the would-be assassin of Ronald Reagan, and told a female journalist to “be quiet.”
Trump came under fierce attack from the afternoon convention speakers. Unsuccessful Democratic candidate Martin O’Malley called him a “bully racist.” California Gov. Jerry Brown denounced him for calling climate change a hoax, saying that Trump is a “fraud.” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio took aim at Trump’s claim to represent the downtrodden: “How can he pretend to be for American workers when he didn’t even pay his own workers what he owed them?”
The day was focused on national security. In a marked difference from the Republicans, the Democrats spent more time addressing the threats of gun violence and climate change than Daesh or terrorism more broadly.
Showing unprecedented assertiveness on gun policy, Clinton’s campaign put forward seven consecutive speakers who advocated more restrictions.
“I’m glad common-sense gun policy was in place the day Christopher was born,” said Christine Leinonen, whose son was killed in the Orlando nightclub massacre.
“But where was that common sense the day he died?”