Trump Putin: US president reverses remark on Russia meddling

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has said he accepts US intelligence agencies’ conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 election – despite declining to do so just a day ago.
He said he had misspoken on Monday and had meant to say he saw no reason why it was not Russia that meddled.
The original comments, after he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, drew a barrage of criticism. Even some of Mr Trump’s allies had urged him to clarify his stance.
In his latest remarks, he added that he had “full faith and support” in US intelligence agencies.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is to appear before Congress next week to answer questions on what happened during Mr Trump’s two-hour meeting with President Putin on Monday.
Once order was restored, he said he had been in the dark as to why a storm had swirled around his presidency since his Helsinki summit with Vladimir Putin. It was, he said, because he had misspoken.
That is going to be hard for many of the president’s critics to swallow, however. Even if he did mean to say, “I don’t see a reason why it wouldn’t be Russia”, it is a pretty weak way to confront the head of a nation accused of targeting the heart of American democracy.
What is more, the context of the president’s comments make a simple slip of the tongue seem less likely.
At the very least, the president gave his supporters some material to rally around.
The damage, however, has been done. Mr Trump can give as many White House statements as he likes, but on the biggest stage – standing beside the Russian president – he fumbled.