Former President Trump on Saturday rejected the findings of a Justice Department investigation that Russia secretly worked to influence the 2024 U.S. presidential election, and joked about whether he should be upset that President Vladimir Putin playfully endorsed Vice President Harris.
Speaking at a rally in Wisconsin, President Trump referred to the Department of Justice's announcement earlier this week that it had seized 32 web domains that were being used by Russia for influence operations.
“It started again three days ago. The Department of Justice said Russia may again be meddling in our election,” Trump said. “Russia. Russia. And, you know, this time the whole world laughed at Russia.”
“Just the other day the attorney general said, 'We're investigating Russia,' and I said, 'No, Russia, Russia, Russia again,'” Trump said, referring to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into the 2016 presidential election. “But they're not looking at China. They're not looking at Iran. I don't know what's going on with poor Russia.”
The Biden administration earlier this week condemned Russian attempts to influence the 2024 US elections.
The Justice Department has seized web domains belonging to two employees of the Russian state media outlet RT (formerly Russia Today), which also has an English-language version, and charged them with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, accusing them of working with conservative media companies to sow division in the United States.
The two actions are some of the strongest measures taken under the Biden administration to counter accelerating efforts by the Russian government, which intelligence agencies consider to be “the greatest threat to U.S. elections.”
Trump has in the past cast doubt on intelligence findings that Russia tried to influence U.S. elections. During a meeting This was taken during a meeting with President Putin in 2018.
Intelligence agencies have determined that Russia tried to influence the 2016 election, which Trump won, and the Justice Department has investigated possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Moscow. No evidence found Of conspiracy.
Trump on Saturday also poked fun at Putin, who last week joked that he would support Harris in the next election, citing her “contagious” laugh and its potential to change U.S. sanctions against Russia.
“He endorsed Kamala. I was very upset about that. I wonder why he endorsed Kamala. No, he's a chess player,” Trump said.
Trump's critics have accused Putin of cozying up to dictators and autocrats, but the former president has repeatedly said Putin neither fears nor respects the current administration.
