Response to Helsinki Press Conference
American intelligence agencies have confirmed, unequivocally, that Russian actors, almost certainly at the direction of the Russian government and Vladimir Putin, meddled in our 2016 presidential election.
Whether it's protecting the hackers responsible for this crime, committing numerous human rights violations, invading Ukraine, annexing Crimea, supporting the Iranian regime, taking hostile actions in Syria, or threatening peaceful European neighbors, it's clear that Putin is a bad actor and should be treated as an international pariah.
The President's blindness to Putin's hostile acts against the United States and our allies -- election meddling included -- is very troubling.
Since Putin insists that the Russian government has nothing to do with meddling in our elections, he should not object to the hackers recently indicted being brought to justice. Since his cooperation is unlikely, the United States should impose tough new sanctions on Russia as soon as possible.