Trump Faces Criticism After Summit     07/17 06:15

   In an extraordinary embrace of a longtime U.S. enemy, President Donald Trump 
openly questioned his own intelligence agencies' firm finding that Russia 
meddled in the 2016 U.S. election to his benefit, seeming to accept Russian 
President Vladimir Putin's insistence that Moscow's hands were clean.

   HELSINKI (AP) -- In an extraordinary embrace of a longtime U.S. enemy, 
President Donald Trump openly questioned his own intelligence agencies' firm 
finding that Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. election to his benefit, seeming 
to accept Russian President Vladimir Putin's insistence that Moscow's hands 
were clean.

   The reaction back home was immediate and visceral, among fellow Republicans 
as well as usual Trump critics. "Shameful," ''disgraceful," ''weak," were a few 
of the comments. Makes the U.S. "look like a pushover," said GOP Sen. Bob 
Corker of Tennessee.

   Trump's meeting with Putin in Helsinki was his first time sharing the 
international stage with a man he has described as an important U.S. competitor 
--- but whom he has also praised a strong, effective leader.

   His remarks, siding with a foe on foreign soil over his own government, was 
a stark illustration of Trump's willingness to upend decades of U.S. foreign 
policy and rattle Western allies in service of his political concerns. A wary 
and robust stance toward Russia has been a bedrock of his party's world view. 
But Trump made clear he feels that any firm acknowledgement of Russia's 
involvement would undermine the legitimacy of his election.

   Standing alongside Putin, Trump steered clear of any confrontation with the 
Russian, going so far as to question American intelligence and last week's 
federal indictments that accused  12 Russians of hacking into Democratic email 
accounts to hurt Hillary Clinton in 2016.

   "I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that 
President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.

   "He just said it's not Russia. I will say this: I don't see any reason why 
it would be," Trump said.

   His skepticism drew a quick formal statement --- almost a rebuttal --- from 
Trump's director of national Intelligence, Dan Coats.

   "We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 
election and their ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy, and 
we will continue to provide unvarnished and objective intelligence in support 
of our national security," Coats said.

   Fellow GOP politicians have generally stuck with Trump during a year and a 
half of turmoil, but he was assailed as seldom before as he returned home 
Monday night from what he had hoped would be a proud summit with Putin.

   Sen. John McCain of Arizona was most outspoken, declaring that Trump made a 
"conscious choice to defend a tyrant" and achieved "one of the most disgraceful 
performances by an American president in memory." House Speaker Paul Ryan, who 
rarely criticizes Trump, stressed there was "no question" that Russia had 
interfered.

   Even staunch Trump backer Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, called 
Trump's comments "the most serious mistake of his presidency" and said they 
"must be corrected --- immediately."

   Former CIA Director John Brennan, who served under President Barack Obama, 
called Trump's words "nothing short of treasonous." Brennan tweeted: "Not only 
were Trump's comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. 
Republican Patriots: Where are you???"

   In a Fox News Channel interview after the summit, Putin pronounced the 
meetings "the beginning of the path" back from the West's past efforts to 
isolate Russia. "I think you see for yourself that these efforts failed, and 
they were never bound to succeed," he said.

   As he flew home to Washington aboard Air Force One, Trump tried to clarify 
his position via tweet, saying: "As I said today and many times before, 'I have 
GREAT confidence in MY intelligence people.' However, I also recognize that in 
order to build a brighter future, we cannot exclusively focus on the past - as 
the world's two largest nuclear powers, we must get along!"

   In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity that aired later Monday, Trump 
said "it's a shame" that he and Putin were being asked questions about the 
Russia probe while they were trying to discuss issues like Syria and nuclear 
proliferation. "We've had a phony witch hunt deal drive us apart," he said.

   In their totality, Trump's remarks amounted to an unprecedented embrace of a 
man who for years has been isolated by the U.S. and Western allies for actions 
in Ukraine, Syria and beyond. And it came at the end of an extraordinary trip 
to Europe in which Trump had already berated allies, questioned the value of 
the NATO alliance and demeaned leaders including Germany's Angela Merkel and 
Britain's Theresa May.

   The two leaders' long-awaited summit began with a private face-to-face 
sitdown --- just the leaders and their interpreters --- that lasted more than 
two hours, before additional meetings joined by senior aides.

   The pair had held lengthy talks before --- on the sidelines of world leader 
meetings in Germany and Vietnam last year --- but this was their first official 
summit and was being watched closely, especially following the announcement 
Friday of new indictments against 12 Russian intelligence officers accused  of 
hacking Democratic emails to help Trump's campaign.

   Asked about the indictments, Putin suggested that Moscow and Washington 
could jointly conduct the investigation, inviting special counsel Robert 
Mueller's investigators to come to Russia to interview the 12 people --- an 
idea Trump hailed as an "incredible offer."

   Putin said he'd expect the U.S. to return the favor and cooperate in the 
Russian probe against William Browder, a British investor charged with 
financial crimes in Russia.  Browder, an outspoken Putin critic, was a driving 
force behind a U.S. law targeting Russian officials over human rights abuses.

   The summit began just hours after Trump blamed the United States --- and not 
Russian election meddling or its annexation of Crimea --- for a low-point in 
U.S.-Russia relations.

   "Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse," Trump tweeted Monday 
morning, blaming "many years of U.S. foolishness and stupidity and now, the 
Rigged Witch Hunt!"

   The Russian foreign ministry responded by liking Trump's tweet and then 
replying, "We agree."

   Asked whether Russia was responsible at all, Trump said "we're all to blame" 
for the soured relations.

   However, "that changed," he said, "as of about four hours ago."

   Putin ridiculed as "sheer nonsense" allegations that Russian intelligence 
agencies had collected compromising information on Trump during his visit to 
Moscow years before the election, saying that he had no idea Trump was even 
visiting.

   Trump also dismissed the idea in his interview with Hannity, adding, "If 
they had it, it would have been out."

   Still, Putin said he had indeed wanted Trump to win the election --- a 
revelation that might have made more headlines if not for Trump's performance 
--- but had taken no action to make it happen.

   "Yes, I wanted him to win because he spoke of normalization of Russian-U.S. 
ties," Putin said. "Isn't it natural to feel sympathy to a person who wanted to 
develop relations with our country? It's normal."

   At the closing press conference, Putin, riding high after hosting a 
successful World Cup, unveiled a gift he'd brought for Trump: a red and white 
soccer ball, which he tossed to Trump at the neighboring lectern. Trump passed 
it over to his wife, and said they'd give it to their soccer-loving 12-year-old 
son, Barron.

   Out on the streets, the summit attracted a grab-bag of protesters, with 
abortion-rights activists wearing artificially bulging bellies and Trump masks, 
anti-fascist protesters bearing signs with expletive-laden insults, and free 
traders, anti-war Ukrainians and gay rights supporters making their voices 
heard.


(KA)