The following article by Brett Samuels was posted on the Hill website July 24, 2018:
President Trump on Tuesday said he is “very concerned” that Russia will attempt to interfere in this year’s midterm elections, claiming Moscow “will be pushing very hard” to support Democrats.
I’m very concerned that Russia will be fighting very hard to have an impact on the upcoming Election. Based on the fact that no President has been tougher on Russia than me, they will be pushing very hard for the Democrats. They definitely don’t want Trump!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 24, 2018
The tweet is the latest in a week’s worth of mixed messages Trump has sent on Russia since he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Monday.
Trump stood next to Putin in Helsinki and cast doubt on the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election — with the intention of helping to elect Trump. He blasted the special counsel’s investigation into Russian meddling as a “witch hunt” and said Putin offered a “strong and powerful” denial.