Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates on Friday slammed President Donald Trump’s « inexplicable refusal » to confirm Russian interference in the 2016 election, saying it hinders the US Intelligence Community.
« They had a very robust and lengthy exchange on the subject, » Tillerson added.
But when he spoke at a news conference in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday, Trump only offered a tepid endorsement of findings by intelligence officials that Russia was behind the election meddling.
« I think it very well could be Russia but I think it could very well have been other countries, » Trump said. After noting « wrong » intelligence that led to the « one big mess » in Iraq, he concluded, « Nobody really knows. Nobody really knows for sure » who did the hacking.
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, appearing on CNN’s « The Situation Room » Thursday, attacked the claim that others may have interfered.
« As far as others doing this, boy, that’s news to me, » Clapper said. « We saw no evidence whatsoever that it was anyone involved in this other than the Russians. »
Yates has voiced concerns about the Trump administration and Russia before. In a May congressional hearing about the firing of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, Yates testified: « To state the obvious: You don’t want your national security adviser compromised with the Russians. »
Trump fired Yates in January, citing her decision to not defend Trump’s travel ban. At the time, the White House criticized Yates for « betray (ing) the Department of Justice. »
The tweet was Yates’ second as a private citizen since she launched her account last month.
