(Image source from: Business Insider)
United States President Donald Trump today faced massive political ire in the U.S. for not backing the American intelligence community's claim that Russia impedes in the 2016 presidential election, following the Helsinki summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
From describing his remarks at the joint press conference as "disgraceful", "shameful" to "treacherous", even some of his nearest supporters delineated Trump's statements as the most earnest error of his presidential term.
Trump, who arrived at the White House after his week-long trip to Europe, has defended his remarks: "As I said today and many times before, 'I have GREAT confidence in MY intelligence people.'"
He further said, "Nevertheless, I likewise acknowledge that in order to build a gleaming future, we cannot solely focus on the past as the world's two largest nuclear powers, we must get along!"
Trump said in a tweet aboard Air Force One on his way back home: "I would rather take a political risk in pursuit of peace, than to risk peace in pursuit of politics," he said, adding that a productive talk is not only bang-up for the U.S. and Russia but is likewise good for the world.
The U.S. analysts said Trump refused to convincingly state that the Russians intervened in the 2016 presidential election at his press conference with Putin after their basic summit meeting.
"They said they think it's Russia. I have President Putin- he just said it's not Russia," Trump said, adding that he does not "see any reason why it would be" Russia.
"The damage inflicted by President Trump's naivete, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate. But it is clear that the summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake," said Republican Senator John McCain, who chairs the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee.
"President Trump proved not only unable but unwilling to stand up to Putin. He and Putin seemed to be speaking from the same script as the president made a conscious choice to defend a tyrant against the fair questions of a free press, and to grant Putin an uncontested platform to spew propaganda and lies to the world," he said.
Soon the head of the U.S. intelligence agencies and a Trump appointee issued a statement reiterating that Russians interfered in the 2016 presidential elections.
Putin too has rejected the allegations: "Today's press conference in Helsinki was one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory."
Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said Trump failed to confront Putin on Russian interference in the U.S. elections and placed more trust in the Russian dictator's denials than in the assessments of the U.S. intelligence.
By Sowmya Sangam
