President Trump on Thursday defended his comments about being open to accepting a foreign power’s dirt on his 2020 opponents and not feeling obligated to tell the FBI — by saying he talks about “everything” with world leaders.
“I meet and talk to ‘foreign governments’ every day. I just met with the Queen of England (U.K.), the Prince of Whales [sic], the P.M. of the United Kingdom, the P.M. of Ireland, the President of France and the President of Poland,” the president said in a tweet.
“We talked about ‘Everything!’ Should I immediately call the FBI about these calls and meetings? How ridiculous! I would never be trusted again,” he wrote, apparently conflating foreign interference with his normal diplomatic ties.
“With that being said, my full answer is rarely played by the Fake News Media. They purposely leave out the part that matters,” Trump added.
During an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, Trump said “there’s nothing wrong with listening” to information provided by a foreign government about a political opponent.
Asked by ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos whether his campaign would accept such information from foreigners — including China or Russia — or hand it over to the FBI, the president said, “I think maybe you do both.”
He added: “If somebody called from a country, Norway, [and said] ‘We have information on your opponent’ — oh, I think I’d want to hear it.”
Trump disputed the notion that a foreign government would be interfering in the American election process by providing such information.
“It’s not an interference, they have information — I think I’d take it,” Trump said. “If I thought there was something wrong, I’d go maybe to the FBI — if I thought there was something wrong. But when somebody comes up with oppo research, right, they come up with oppo research, ‘Oh, let’s call the FBI.’ The FBI doesn’t have enough agents to take care of it.
“When you go and talk, honestly, to congressmen, they all do it, they always have, and that’s the way it is. It’s called oppo research.”
When Stephanopoulos noted that FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers that the agency “would want to know about” any foreign election meddling, Trump snapped: “The FBI director is wrong.”
