One day after refusing to acknowledge that Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, President Donald Trump said Tuesday he accepts the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that meddling did occur.
Despite his earlier dismissal of the conclusion, Trump said during a White House press conference Tuesday that he had “full faith” in America’s intelligence agencies.
Trump reiterated his stance that there was “no collusion” between Russia and his presidential campaign. However, he conceded that while commenting about the matter Monday during a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland, he should have said he “saw no reason why it would not be Russia” that interfered in elections, instead of his statement that he saw no reason why it would be Russia.
His initial comment Monday sparked a firestorm of criticism from both sides of the aisle, most pointedly from many within his own party whom had long supported the president.
