After Donald Trump encouraged Russia to find and make public missing emails deleted by his presidential opponent, Hillary Clinton, an instant debate exploded over hacking and his urging of a foreign government to meddle in American politics.
Shortly after Trump’s extraordinary remarks Wednesday, his Republican running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, took a different tack and warned of “serious consequences” if Russia interfered in the election.
Democrats — and some Republicans — quickly condemned the remarks by the Republican presidential standard-bearer.
They came as the Democrats met on the third day of their national convention in Philadelphia, where Clinton will accept the presidential nomination Thursday night to face Republican Trump in November.
Trump’s comments raised the question of whether he was condoning foreign government hacking of U.S. computers and the public release of information stolen from political adversaries. His brief remarks managed to divert attention from an embarrassing leak of other hacked emails that exposed sensitive internal political communications that had divided Democrats.
“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” Trump said. He was referring to emails on Clinton’s private server that she said she deleted — because they were private — before turning other messages over to the State Department. The Justice Department declined to prosecute Clinton over her email practices, but FBI Director James Comey called her “extremely careless” in handling classified information as President Barack Obama’s secretary of state.
The Clinton campaign called Trump’s statement the “first time that a major presidential candidate has actively encouraged a foreign power to conduct espionage against a political opponent.”
At a news conference in Doral, Florida, after Trump’s initial remarks, he was asked whether he had any qualms about asking a foreign government to hack into computers in the United States. Trump did not directly respond except to say, “That’s up to the president. Let the president talk to them.”
He later added: “If Russia or China or any other country has those emails, I mean, to be honest with you, I’d love to see them.”
Trump’s invitation was immediately contradicted by his running mate. Pence condemned any possible cyberespionage, breaking from Trump for the first time since being selected to run with him.
“If it is Russia and they are interfering in our elections, I can assure you both parties and the United States government will ensure there are serious consequences,” Pence said in a statement.
At the convention, Leon Panetta, former CIA director and defense secretary, blasted Trump’s remarks, saying that Trump is “asking a U.S. adversary to engage in hacking or intelligence efforts against the United States of America to affect an election.”
Stephen Miller, senior policy adviser for Trump, battled back, saying in a statement: “It is alarming that Leon Panetta would, through his silence, excuse Hillary Clinton’s enablement of foreign espionage with her illegal email scheme and her corrupt decision to then destroy those emails and dissemble her ‘private’ server to hide her crimes from the public and authorities.”
Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan said bluntly: “Russia is a global menace led by a devious thug. Putin should stay out of this election.”
A Trump campaign communications adviser, Jason Miller, sought to clarify Trump’s statements, saying on Twitter that Trump never urged or invited Russia to hack Clinton’s emails. Instead, he said, Trump was “clearly saying” that if Russia or anyone else already had Clinton’s deleted emails they should share them with the FBI.
It was not immediately clear where or how Clinton’s deleted emails might be recovered, unless an adversary had previously hacked the computer server she operated in the basement of her home in Chappaqua, New York, before she had deleted the messages.
The Associated Press, which discovered the basement server’s existence in March 2015, previously reported that it was connected to the internet in ways that made it more vulnerable to hackers. The FBI concluded it was possible hackers broke into her server but found no direct evidence.
Wednesday’s exchange occurred hours after Obama identified Russia as almost certainly responsible for hacking the Democratic National Committee in a different case. WikiLeaks published on its website last week more than 19,000 internal emails stolen from the DNC earlier this year. The emails showed DNC staffers supporting Clinton when they were publicly promising to remain neutral during the primary elections between Sen. Bernie Sanders and her.
The head of the DNC, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, resigned over the disclosures.
Trump cast doubt on whether Russia was behind that hack. He said blaming Russia was deflecting attention from the embarrassing material in the emails.
“Russia has no respect for our country, if it is Russia,” Trump said. “It could be China. It could be someone sitting in his bedroom. It’s probably not Russia. Nobody knows if it’s Russia.”
Obama traditionally avoids commenting on active FBI investigations, but he told NBC News on Tuesday that outside experts have blamed Russia for the leak. Obama also appeared to embrace the notion that President Vladimir Putin might have been responsible because of what he described as Trump’s affinity for Putin. Trump said he has no relationship with Putin.
In Moscow on Wednesday, Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Russia would never interfere in another country’s election.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
This is what happens when a sound bite is taken out of context. Since the emails in question have been deleted there is no way Russia can get them now. I took Trump’s quote as a tongue in cheek remark. I would think Mr. Putin would prefer for Hillary Clinton to win since he has had a chance to size her up and has found that she will probably be about as ineffective and President Obama.
The FBI concluded there was a possibility that Ms. Clinton’s email server could have been hacked. We don’t know if any of her emails were collected by a hacker. Let’s expand on this a little. Hillary thought that by erasing her email server all of those messages were gone forever. After the release of the hacked DNC emails there is bound to be some concern by Hillary and her campaign staff about the possibility of a release of her deleted emails shortly before the election. An even worse hack might possibly come if candidate Clinton’s email was hacked and those messages are released shortly before the election. Those campaign emails could show that she urged Democrat Party officials to shut Bernie Sanders’ campaign down or reveal other incredibly embarrassing information.
The Clintons have a way of creating scandals. Is the DNC leaked emails a preview of the next Clinton scandal?
If a Democrat had said this the right would have instantly called for their arrest and trial and execution for treason Trump is an admirer of Putin and there are financial ties. Remember Miss Universe page t held in Moscow The emails have been deleted on her server but obviously they were sent and received on other servers. So a Russian fishing expedition would likely find at least some
Bill: Just like if someone on the right were secretary of state and was so “extremely careless” with state secrets, the left would be calling for arrrest for treason. Then again, no person on the right would survive having as many scandals as the Clinton’s because the right is not so stupid to continue blindly adoring someone like that. Clinton followers are absolutely blind or really stupid. They say where there’s smoke there’s fire, I the Clinton’s case there’s a frigging wildfire, but their supporters refuse to see it, even when it’s burning around their feet. I always finish with: Juanita Broderick, Kathleen Willey, Paula Jones innocent DEMOCRATS who were victimized by the Clnton’s. HOW CAN HILLARY SAY SHE REPRESENTS WOMEN? Bill is a serial sexual abuser. She is an enabler of this behavior. She cannot represent women as the first woman president. It is an insult to every woman who has been a victim.
//You’re right of course. Trump’s remark was taken out of context — he was being sarcastic (but had a point). Something the left is unable to or unwilling to acknowledge. Good God!
Why would CROOKED HILLARY worry about the 30,000 emails about Yoga class and personal emails.
So if Russia has them no big deal right Billary??
Trump wants the Russians to come out with the already hacked emails of Clinton; that’s what this is all about period. Trump is turning the tables against Clinton.
Why would CROOKED Hillary worry about the 30,000 emails hacked by Russia
if they were simply personal Yoga class emails. Oh and Bill 2 emails he sent.
This proves those emails contained classified info and probably “pay to play” Clinton Foundation corruption
Yes, free those emails on Clinton Fdn etc.
Make Public.
Nothing to lose.
PR for Putin for sure.