In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, the news cycle has been dominated with allegations linking Donald Trump and his team to the Russian government. After being accused of personally meeting with the ambassador to Russia, Trump's White House decided to respond.
Trump on Russia
Since his inauguration, President Donald Trump has been forced to deal with the growing scandal involving his advisers and cabinet members allegedly engaging in illegal communication with Russia. The first to be taken down by the claims involves retired Gen. Michael Flynn, who was forced to resign as National Security Adviser after getting caught speaking to a Russian offical after the election.
Just over a week ago, Attorney General Jeff Sessions was found to have spoken to the Russian Ambassador twice during the election, which was originally reported by the Washington Post. Adding to the problems is the latest report by ABC News that claims Trump personally met with the ambassador to Russia during his campaign, though the White House is now pushing back at the allegation, as reported on March 9.
The report in question claims that Donald Trump met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in April 2016, just days before the former host of "The Apprentice" delivered a speech at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington D.C. Sitting just a few rows back during the speech was Kislyak, where he witnessed Trump calling for an "easing of tensions" with the Kremlin.
In response, Donald Trump is denying the report, with the White House releasing a statement to push back. "If they met, it was in passing at arrival reception hosted by National Interest which (Trump) was present at for all of 5 minutes," the statement reads. In addition, the White House statement claims that Sergey Kislyak was not invited to the speech by Trump himself, stating, "We have no recollection of who he may have shaken hands with at the reception and we were not responsible for inviting or vetting guests." Not stopping there, the Trump-backed statement labeled the allegations as "absurd" and "disingenuous." Following the news, congressional Democrats have taken steps to force Trump to reveal his alleged ties to Russia, causing even more backlash to the administration.
JUST IN: House Dems look to force vote on Trump campaign’s Russia ties https://t.co/lUPqassDEe pic.twitter.com/nqt0IsqlnN
— The Hill (@thehill) March 9, 2017
Next up
Despite Donald Trump and the White House denying any wrongdoing, speculation continues to grow as to what impact the Russian government had on the campaign, as well as their current potential influence in the administration. The billionaire real estate mogul has labeled any report pointing to a Russian connection as "fake news," with many right-wing news sites quick to back up the talking point.
