Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats appeared to distance himself from President Trump on Monday after the U.S. leader admitted in a press conference with Vladimir Putin that he still doubts whether Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
“We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and their ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy, and we will continue to provide unvarnished and objective intelligence in support of our national security,” Coats said in a statement.
Coats’ reaction came hours after the president told reporters he has yet to be convinced that the Russians were behind a series of cyber-attacks against Democratic party officials and state election systems during the most recent presidential election and previous elections. Trump said Putin was extremely strong and powerful” while denying involvement during their private meeting on Monday.
[More: Robert Mueller indicts 12 Russian officers for election meddling, hacking into Clinton’s emails]
“I have President Putin. He just said it is not Russia,” the president told reporters. “I will say this: I do not see any reason why it would be.”
The comments came just days after Trump’s intelligence chief said cyber threats against the U.S. had reached a “critical point” and could undermine future elections, including the upcoming midterms.
“It was in the months prior to September 2001 when, according to then-CIA Director George Tenet, the system is blinking red. And here we are nearly two decades later, and I’m here to say, the warning lights are blinking red again,” Coats said at a conference in Washington last Friday.
