Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that allegations of Moscow’s meddling in U.S. elections are “rumors used in an American domestic political battle,” almost parroting a line President Donald Trump has used in the past. “You referred to the example of the United States, which has not been confirmed by anyone or anything,” Putin said at a press conference. “It’s just rumors used in an American domestic political battle.” Trump last month tweeted: “The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign.”
On Saturday, Trump continued to cast doubt on Russia’s actions, telling Face the Nation, “It’s very hard” to know who may have been involved. “With that being said, I’ll go along with Russia. Could’ve been China, could’ve been a lot of different groups,” he said.