US intelligence officials from the CIA and FBI claim that allegations that the Trump Administration have ties to Russia are “grossly overstated” and “completely wrong”.
According to White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, rumors about Trump having ties to Russia are based on pure fantasy.
“I can assure you, the top levels of the intelligence community have assured me that [the allegation] is not only grossly overstated, but also wrong,” Priebus told Fox News Sunday.
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“They have made it very clear that the story is complete garbage,” he said.
Rt.com reports:
Priebus declined to name his sources within the CIA and FBI, according to the report.
“There are certain things that are happening in the news that just aren’t honest,” the White House official added, when asked to comment on Trump’s relations with the media.
This week, the New York Times published a report claiming that “members of Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and other Trump associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the election.” Citing “current and former American officials,” the report suggested there were “phone records and intercepted calls” to prove the allegations.
Priebus had already denounced the report, saying not “a single bit of evidence” has been seen to support it.
“Top levels of the intelligence community… have greenlighted me to say that I have talked to the highest levels of intelligence officials and they have assured me that the New York Times story about constant contact is grossly overstated and inaccurate,” Priebus said in an interview with ‘Fox and Friends’ on Friday.
'We’re very powerful nuclear country and so are they… Good relationship w/ Russia… that’s a good thing' – #Trump https://t.co/2mAPY4sIRz pic.twitter.com/qp6R0dNFF1
— RT (@RT_com) February 17, 2017
During his first solo press conference since becoming president, Trump on Thursday refuted reports of his connections with Russian intelligence, calling “the whole Russian thing… a ruse.” The president said he wanted normal relations with the Kremlin, but blamed the media for trying to prevent it.
“The false, horrible fake reporting makes it much harder to make a deal with Russia,” he said, adding, “It would be great, if we could get along with Russia… You had a lot of presidents that have not taken that tack. Look where we are now.”
Sean Adl-Tabatabai
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