President Trump alleged House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff was behind a report that Russia is trying to help Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2020 presidential election.
Trump told reporters Sunday that he had not been briefed on the interference effort aimed at disrupting the Democratic presidential primary process but claimed without providing evidence that Schiff was responsible for making the information public.
“I read where Russia’s helping Bernie Sanders. Nobody said it to me at all. Nobody briefed me about that at all,” he said, later adding, “Adam Schiff and his group, they leaked it to the papers. As usual, they ought to investigate Adam Schiff for leaking that information. He should not be leaking information out of intelligence. They ought to investigate Adam Schiff.”
Trump pleading ignorance conflicts with a Washington Post report last week that said the president and lawmakers on Capitol Hill had been briefed about Russia’s efforts to help Sanders.
“I don’t care, frankly, who [Russian President Vladimir] Putin wants to be president,” Sanders, who is the front-runner in the Democratic primary, said in a statement Friday. “My message to Putin is clear: Stay out of American elections, and as president, I will make sure that you do.”
Reports also circulated last week that the Kremlin is meddling in the election to the benefit of Trump, which the president and members of his national security team have denied.
