President Donald Trump may not alert the FBI if foreign governments offered damaging information against his 2020 rivals during the upcoming presidential race, he said, despite the deluge of investigations stemming from his campaign’s interactions with Russians during the 2016 campaign.
Asked by ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos in the Oval Office on Wednesday whether his campaign would accept such information from foreigners — such as China or Russia — or hand it over the FBI, Trump said, “I think maybe you do both.”
“I think you might want to listen, there isn’t anything wrong with listening,” Trump continued. “If somebody called from a country, Norway, [and said] ‘we have information on your opponent’ — oh, I think I’d want to hear it.”
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Trump disputed the idea that if a foreign government provided information on a political opponent, it would be considered interference in our election process.
“It’s not an interference, they have information — I think I’d take it,” Trump said. “If I thought there was something wrong, I’d go maybe to the FBI — if I thought there was something wrong. But when somebody comes up with oppo research, right, they come up with oppo research, ‘oh let’s call the FBI.’ The FBI doesn’t have enough agents to take care of it. When you go and talk, honestly, to congressman, they all do it, they always have, and that’s the way it is. It’s called oppo research.”
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- Discussion
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EXCLUSIVE: Pres. Trump tells @GStephanopoulos he wouldn't necessarily alert the FBI if approached by foreign figures with information on his 2020 opponent: "It’s not an interference. They have information. I think I’d take it." https://t.co/7gvoAViw9r pic.twitter.com/k5Yqd9YxdC
— Evan McMurry (@evanmcmurry) June 12, 2019
Our Republic's Founding Fathers worried about this exact scenario BIGLY and had a LOT to say about it.
Above all — one more time, with feeling, until everybody memorizes it:
"There is one evil I dread, and that is, their spies."
— G. Washington, 24 MAR 1776— John Schindler (@20committee) June 13, 2019
Considerably worse.
And Helsinki was off-charts awful.https://t.co/25wsq1nTLN
— John Schindler (@20committee) June 13, 2019
Unlike our 45th President, I do not use the T-word casually.
But, it now fits Donnie — like a glove. Based on his very own words.
In our politics, the worst American without secret foreign encumbrances is preferable to the best American with them.https://t.co/bu7umGDbbx
— John Schindler (@20committee) June 13, 2019
Unethical and un-American, and an invitation to the Russians to walk right back in to our elections. https://t.co/BlOsk2MSiF
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) June 12, 2019
Sitting in the Oval Office, the President says the FBI Director is wrong to say campaigns should call the FBI if foreign actors try to funnel oppo research to them.
Go ahead, conservatives. Show me you care. Show me you have an ounce of political courage. Denounce this. pic.twitter.com/dZ9Rd1RKVI
— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) June 12, 2019
There is no bottom.
There is no better Trump.
He will always stoop lower, smear everything around him with excrement, and diminish absolutely everyone and everything. https://t.co/IpnZPRtKCC
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) June 12, 2019
If any USG employee with a clearance declared "Why yes, I'd talk to a foreign agent and not talk to the FBI," not only would that person be in violation of security requirements, but the people around that person would be required to report him or her as a security threat.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) June 12, 2019
Every hostile foreign county was just told by the President they can interfere with elections as much as they want.
— Bob Sampson (@bobsalpha1) June 12, 2019
2/ Wray won't quit. He should. Coats won't quit. He should. Haspel won't quit. She should.
They'll argue their replacement will be worse. This is a pleasant lie they tell themselves.
They are powerless and enabling the destruction of our nation at his hands.
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) June 12, 2019
4/ The "Justice" Department is utterly corrupted by Barr, and will do fuck-all nothing.
No one in the GOP Senate will say shit. They should.
In the House, the GOP Clown Caucus will run around with their dicks hard, roaring approval for pwning da libs with foreign intel.
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) June 12, 2019
6/ He's asking for our politics to be truly unbounded and for all sides to go weapons-free.
He's an agent of chaos and lawlessness.
This will not end well.
/fin
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) June 12, 2019
"I would take help from a foreign adversary against U.S. citizens running against me and not notify the FBI" is about as clear a violation of the oath to protect and defend the Constitution, against all enemies foreign and domestic, as there could be.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) June 12, 2019
this is really the whole ballgame, folks: the president is saying his campaign is open to foreign assistance, if they are offered it they won't report it, he doesn't see anything wrong with it…
— Carrie Cordero (@carriecordero) June 12, 2019
..the law does not explicitly preclude it, and there have been no political consequences for the 2016 campaign's activities…
— Carrie Cordero (@carriecordero) June 12, 2019
the Mueller report – as Bob Mueller said in his press statement – document's Russia's persistent effort and activities to influence our elections and democratic processes…
— Carrie Cordero (@carriecordero) June 12, 2019
US law provides for an entire intelligence community apparatus that is dedicated to ferreting out foreign intelligence activities – it is literally the job of the intelligence community to do this work & to inform the president & policymakers about foreign intelligence activities
— Carrie Cordero (@carriecordero) June 12, 2019
And another thing: it likely would be a campaign law violation to receive information from a foreign govt, but that’s not the point! The point is it’s wrong, it’s immoral & it’s contrary to US national security interests. And for sitting president, it violates his oath of office.
— Carrie Cordero (@carriecordero) June 13, 2019
How does Chris Wray not resign now that the President has made clear that he would not inform him of further Russian interference? Or Haspel? Or Coats?
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) June 12, 2019
CNN running the clip of Barr saying that if a "foreign intelligence service" offers info, you should call the FBI.
Wait for it: Whoever comes to Trump from Russia or China, Barr will say: "Not a foreign intelligence service." This man parses words for a reason.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) June 13, 2019
It's also the oath of everyone in U.S. government service. But okay, pretty clear that Trump is not observing his oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." https://t.co/POe0Dej75A
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) June 13, 2019
Trump’s interview with @GStephanopoulos crystallizes what’s at stake:
Unless Democrats and Republicans in Congress impeach him, every future president has grounds to ask foreign adversaries to launch covert operations against political rivals in the U.S. #existential
— Ron Fournier (@ron_fournier) June 12, 2019
Wow… Trump not only hasn't learned a thing, but readily admits that in 2020 he would listen to any country who calls him with dirt on his opponent. pic.twitter.com/tvXxOwqG9o
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) June 12, 2019
I have changed my position on impeachment.
I think it is no longer sufficient.
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) June 12, 2019
Think about what just happened today: The President of the United States just admitted that he'd happily break the law to win again in 2020.
And by the way, why is he always picking on Norway?
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) June 13, 2019
Its a little known fact that the Norwegians are known and feared throughout Scandinavia for their devastating oppo. pic.twitter.com/ER9DSuUqKn
— Mike Gehrke (@mikegehrke) June 13, 2019
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