The White House on Wednesday appeared to agree with British officials who have accused Russia of poisoning a former spy in London last week.
A day after President Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May spoke by phone about the ongoing investigation into the nerve-agent poisoning, deputy press secretary Raj Shah told reporters the U.S. stands with the United Kingdom “100 percent.” May expelled 23 Russian diplomats from the U.K. earlier Wednesday and is said to be reviewing possible sanctions against Moscow.
“I’ll say that as the president said yesterday, it certainly appears to be like Russia did commit this act based on all the evidence that Britain has available,” Shah said aboard Air Force One.
Trump had told reporters on Tuesday that he was waiting to speak with May before declaring Russia’s involvement. However, the president also noted that he was prepared to condemn “whoever” was behind the attack on Sergei Skripal and his 33-year-old daughter.
Shah also suggested on Wednesday that the administration is quietly taking steps to protect the U.S. against foreign electoral intervention in the upcoming midterm elections, hinting that an announcement could soon be made on the issue.
“The president is taking this matter very seriously. There will be more things that we can make public about his actions but we take the integrity of our elections extremely seriously and are treating it with the utmost forethought,” Shah said.
