DNI Coats: I Wished Trump ‘Had Made a Different Statement’ in Helsinki, But ‘That Has Been Clarified’

While speaking at the Aspen Security Forum on Thursday, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats stated he wished President Trump had “made a different statement” on Russian election interference in Helsinki, but that Trump’s statements have been clarified.

Interviewer Andrea Mitchell asked, “[W]hen you watched that in Helsinki, what was your gut reaction watching him validate Vladimir Putin’s assessment over yours?”

Coats said, “Well, my thoughts there were that I believed I needed to correct the record for that. And that this is the job I signed up for, and that was my responsibility. Obviously, I wished he had made a different statement, but I think that now that has been clarified, based on his late reactions to this. And so, I don’t think I want to go any further than that.”

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