ELECTION/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “At their first meeting since Robert Mueller’s Russia probe wrapped up, President Donald Trump playfully warned Russia President Vladimir Putin ‘don’t meddle in the election.’ The seemingly off-the-cuff remark is likely to stoke agitation back in Washington, where Democrats and Republicans have blasted Trump for not taking seriously the special counsel’s report into Russia’s ‘sweeping and systematic’ campaign to disrupt the 2016 election in Trump’s favor. Trump spoke to reporters briefly before he and Putin were scheduled to talk for an hour to discuss a series of national security issues, including Iran’s recent aggression, the civil war in Syria, where the United States and Russia are backing opposing sides, and a new arms control treaty with China. When Trump did not bring up to reporters whether he would mention election interference, a reporter asked him if he would talk to Putin about it…Before he left Washington, Trump declined to tell reporters at the White House what, if anything, he would say to Putin about election interference. Putin denies any Russian role in the election, and Trump has previously sparked controversy by appearing to accept the Russian president’s word on the issue.”
–Anita Kumar, “Trump jokes to Putin: ‘Don’t meddle in the election’,” Politico, June 28, 2019 12:20 am