President Donald Trump on Thursday restated his claim that he has had “nothing to do with Russia” while blasting a recent New York Times report about his campaign’s contacts with the Kremlin as “a joke.”
“The failing New York Times wrote a big, long front-page story yesterday, and it was very much discredited, as you know. It’s a joke,” Trump said during a lengthy press conference from the East Room of the White House.
The Times reported that federal investigators have evidence that Trump campaign members were in contact with members of the Russian government prior to the election. The report states that federal investigators do not have any evidence yet that the Trump advisers coordinated with the Kremlin during the campaign. It is also not clear whether the advisers are believed to have known whether they were speaking with Russian government agents.
Trump noted that the advisers who have been linked in the investigation — former campaign manager Paul Manafort, Carter Page and Roger Stone — have all adamantly denied coordinating with the Russian government.
“The people who were mentioned in the story…they said they never even spoke to Russia,” said Trump.
Trump said that he did not believe that he had ever met Page, who runs an energy investment firm and does business extensively in Russia. Page, who served as an unpaid foreign policy adviser, is named in a 35-page dossier compiled by a former British spy who was working for a pro-Democratic opposition research firm during the campaign. (RELATED: Alleged Target Of Russia-Trump Probe Says He Has Not Been Interviewed By FBI)
“I think the one person, I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to him. I don’t think I’ve ever met him,” Trump said, seemingly of Page.
In an interview with PBS on Wednesday, Page said that did not have contact with the Russian government last year and that he has not been interviewed by the FBI. He also said he would “love” to talk to the Senate about the allegations against him.
Trump also noted that Stone and Manafort have strongly denied having any contacts with Russian government officials.
Manafort, who Trump called “a respected man,” was forced to resign from the campaign last summer because of questions about his work for a Ukrainian political party with ties to Russia.
Trump was pressed several more times in the combative press briefing about ties to Russia. He each time denied having any connections to the Kremlin.
“I can tell you, speaking for myself, I own nothing in Russia. I have no business in Russia. I don’t have any deals in Russia,” he said, adding that he has talked to Vladimir Putin twice since winning the election in November.
He said that Putin “called me up extremely nicely” to congratulate him on his inauguration.
“Russia is fake news, this is fake news put out by the media,” said Trump, adding later that “Russia is a ruse.”
“Haven’t made a phone call to Russia in years.”
“I had nothing to do with it. I have nothing to do with Russia. I have no deals there, I have nothing.”
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