President Trump dismissed reports that Russia is trying to help his reelection in 2020 as “another misinformation campaign.”
The president lashed out at what he called a “hoax” on Friday in response to reports of intelligence officials warning members of the House Intelligence Committee last week that Russians were trying to interfere with the upcoming presidential election in order to ensure a second term for Trump.
“Another misinformation campaign is being launched by Democrats in Congress saying that Russia prefers me to any of the Do Nothing Democrat candidates who still have been unable to, after two weeks, count their votes in Iowa,” Trump tweeted. “Hoax number 7!”
In the reports that emerged Thursday, Trump was said to have “berated” outgoing acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire over the briefing conducted by Shelby Pierson, the intelligence community election threats executive, which may have led to his ouster.
[Opinion: Why the Trump-Russia intelligence report doesn’t quite add up]
Another misinformation campaign is being launched by Democrats in Congress saying that Russia prefers me to any of the Do Nothing Democrat candidates who still have been unable to, after two weeks, count their votes in Iowa. Hoax number 7!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 21, 2020
Former Rep. Trey Gowdy pushed back on that report, saying his sources told him that Trump “was not upset with Maguire,” and noted that “this was a move that was coming anyway.”
The president announced on Wednesday that Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany and a Trump ally with little intelligence experience, would replace Maguire as acting director.
Special counsel Robert Mueller concluded last year that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 election in a “sweeping and systematic” fashion, but he did not establish any criminal conspiracy between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign. Trump called that investigation a “witch hunt.”
