Russia’s Putin tells NBC ‘I do not care at all’ about alleged Russian meddling ■ Israeli lawmaker says ‘hatred of Jews’ lies at the root of Putin’s claim
Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested in an interview with U.S. TV network NBC News that Jews were behind Russia’s alleged interference in the U.S. presidential election.
In the interview, which was aired by NBC late on Friday, the Russian president was asked if he condoned the interference by 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies detailed in a US indictment.
“I do not care at all, because they do not represent the government,” he said, according to the interview transcript posted Saturday by the Kremlin.
“Maybe they are not even Russians but Ukrainians, Tatars or Jews but with Russian citizenship, which should also be checked; maybe they have dual citizenship of a green card; maybe the U.S. paid them for this. How can you know that? I do not know either,” he said.
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In the interview, Putin said Russia has neither the tools nor the will to meddle in elections. He repeatedly complained during the interview that Washington has brushed off Russian initiatives to work together on cybersecurity issues.
“But the U.S. refuses to work like this and instead throws 13 Russians to the media,” he said, going on to list the possible ethnicities that would make the suspects “not even Russian.”
“Maybe they have dual citizenship or a green card; maybe the U.S. paid them for this. How can you know that? I do not know, either,” the Russian leader said.
Putin claimed that the United States interferes in Russian elections “all the time” but that it was “impossible for us” to do the same.
“First, we have principles whereby we do not allow others to interfere in our domestic affairs and do not get into the affairs of others….Secondly, we don’t have this quantity of tools,” he said.
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Lots of outrage about @RussianEmbassy's Twitter provokatsya today, but this story is surely a bigger deal. Putin blames the US election meddling on "Jews with Russian citizenship" – a category of people who are, in his view, "not even Russians". https://t.co/UIGVb8mFRx
— Daniel Hannan (@DanielJHannan) March 10, 2018
WATCH: Russian President Vladimir Putin tells @MegynKelly he “couldn’t care less” about Russians allegedly interfering in U.S. elections because they “do not represent the [Russian] government.” #ConfrontingPutin pic.twitter.com/2EY43HXS2B
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 10, 2018
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