DEMS/INVESTIGATIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Former President Jimmy Carter questioned the legitimacy of Donald Trump’s presidency on Thursday [6-27-19], saying he would likely not be in the White House if the Russians did not interfere in the 2016 presidential election…Pressed by moderator and historian Jon Meacham on whether he believes Trump is an ‘illegitimate president,’ Carter stared, and then said smiling, ‘Basically, what I said, I can’t retract.’ Carter’s remark drew laughs from the audience and Meacham. Carter has not been an especially vocal critic of the president, and has sometimes even praised Trump’s policies, such as Trump’s decision not to take military action against Iran. The oldest living president and Trump also spoke over the phone in April after Carter wrote to the president about his trade negotiations with China. During the Thursday event, Carter called for Trump to condemn Russia for their meddling in the election, and said he should ‘admit that it happened,’ as the intelligence community has already stated.”
–Sarah Cammarata, “Jimmy Carter says a full investigation would show Trump lost in 2016,” Politico, June 28, 2019 11:20 am