President Donald Trump told CBS News’ Jeff Glor that he holds Russian President Vladimir Putin personally responsible for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election on Wednesday.
JUST IN: @realDonaldTrump tells @jeffglor he holds Putin personally responsible for Russian election meddling.
“Because he’s in charge of the country. Just like I consider myself to be responsible for things that happen in this country,” Trump says in a @CBSEveningNews interview
— Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) July 18, 2018
“Well I would because he’s in charge of the country. Just like I consider myself to be responsible for things that happen in this country,” Trump said when asked if he holds Putin personally responsible for their role in the election.
“Certainly, as the leader of a country you would have to hold them responsible,” he continued.
WATCH: President Trump tells @jeffglor he would hold Russian President Vladimir Putin “responsible” for election meddling https://t.co/qVLUBKNW8j pic.twitter.com/eXXVDZDecB
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) July 18, 2018
The president’s statements come after he received a lot of backlash for his comments during a press conference between Trump and Putin on Monday. Many critics said the president was siding with the Russian leader over the U.S. intelligence community about Russia’s role in the last presidential election, and he had to clarify his comments on Tuesday. (RELATED: Trump Asked About Being Soft On Putin – Trump Gives Them A Bloody Reminder That He Hasn’t)
The president has an interview scheduled to air Wednesday evening with CBS Evening News’ Jeff Glor.