Bolton on Fox: Putin Said Through a Translator There Was No Meddling in 2016

‘The president is going to speak with him about it again’

WALLACE: All right. I want to ask about one other specific thing on that list, which is that you have been very clear about Russian meddling in 2016. Last year, you called it an act of war.

And after Putin denied meddling to President Trump at an economic conference, you said this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOLTON: Everybody who has looked at the classified information says there’s no doubt the Russians tried to affect the election. Vladimir Putin looked Donald Trump directly in the eye and lied to him, and I think that’s the single most important takeaway coming out of this meeting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Is President Trump — you’ll love it when I play these old clips.

BOLTON: I love watching myself, absolutely.

(LAUGHTER)

WALLACE: Is President Trump as clear as you are that — forget the issue of collusion, that Russia meddled in the 2016 election, and if so, why would he retweet their denial this week at the same time attacking the FBI?

BOLTON: Yes, I think the president has already said that he’s going to raise the question of Russian meddling again with Vladimir Putin. He said it this past week.

WALLACE: Does he believe it happen?

BOLTON: And what — well, I’ll tell you what President Putin said to me through the translator, of course, but he said there was no meddling in the 2016 election by the Russian state. So, I think it still raises the question — I think the president will want to have a conversation about this and say we don’t want to see meddling in the 2018 election.

(CROSSTALK)

WALLACE: So, are you suggesting that maybe — do you have doubts that the Kremlin was involved?

BOLTON: Look, I think the intelligence is what I said it was before, I haven’t changed my mind on that, and I think it’s something that we’re concerned about. That’s why the president is going to speak with him about it again.

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