Despite senior U.S. intelligence officials’ assertion that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election, President Trump is siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin by accepting his words that there was no Russian interference.
Trump, in a report, said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin when he said he did not order Russia’s election meddling.
Trump also lashed out at Comey, along with former CIA director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, calling them “political hacks.”
All top officials have consistently emphasized that Russia mounted an elaborate campaign to undermine the election and to propel Trump to victory.
“I mean, give me a break, they are political hacks,” Trump said of the three former intelligence officials. “So, you look at it, I mean, you have Brennan, you have Clapper, and you have Comey. Comey is proven now to be a liar and he is proven now to be a leaker. So, you look at that and you have President Putin very strongly, vehemently says he had nothing to do with them.”
In his defense, Comey took to Twitter to rebut Trump’s remarks.
“‘If you want truth to go round the world you must hire an express train to pull it; but if you want a lie to go round the world, it will fly; it is light as a feather and a breath will carry it,'” Comey tweeted.
Additionally, Comey in a follow-up tweet quoted, his favorite scripture verse, from Amos. “‘But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
In the meanwhile, Republican Senator John McCain is alarmed that President Trump chooses to believe Russian President Vladimir Putin over senior U.S. intelligence officials.
“President Trump today stated that he believed Vladimir Putin is being sincere when he denies Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and reiterated that he hopes to cooperate with Russia in Syria,” said McCain.
He also added, “There’s nothing ‘America First’ about taking the word of a KGB colonel over that of the American intelligence community. There’s no ‘principled realism’ in cooperating with Russia to prop up the murderous Assad regime, which remains the greatest obstacle to a political solution that would bring an end to the bloodshed in Syria. Vladimir Putin does not have America’s interests at heart. To believe otherwise is not only naive but also places our national security at risk.”
Moreover, he bemoaned the fact that the President did not address human rights issues during his stop in Vietnam at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting.
Yvad Billings, Readers Bureau, Fellow
Edited by Jesus Chan
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