2016 ELECTION/DEMS/FBI/GOP/RUSSIA/RUSSIA INVESTIGATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump stood next to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Monday [7-16-18] and publicly challenged the conclusion of his own intelligence agencies that Moscow interfered in the 2016 presidential election, wrapping up what he called a ‘deeply productive’ summit meeting with an extraordinary show of trust for a leader accused of attacking American democracy…The 45-minute news conference offered the remarkable spectacle of the American and Russian presidents both pushing back on the notion of Moscow’s election interference, with Mr. Putin demanding evidence of something he said had never been proved, and Mr. Trump appearing to agree. When asked directly whether he believed Mr. Putin or his own intelligence agencies, Mr. Trump said there were ‘two thoughts’ on the matter, and then changed the subject, demanding to know why the F.B.I. never examined the hacked computer servers of the Democratic National Committee, and asking about the fate of emails missing from the server of Hillary Clinton, his campaign rival…His performance drew howls of protests from Democrats and some Republicans, prompting John O. Brennan, who served as C.I.A. director under President Barack Obama, to suggest that the remarks warranted Mr. Trump’s impeachment.”
–Julie Hirschfeld Davis, “Trump, at Putin’s Side, Questions U.S. Intelligence on 2016 Election,” The New York Times online, July 16, 2018