Posted on 07/27/2016 12:37:12 PM PDT by Drango
Trump urged Russian agents to "find" his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's emails and release them, an unprecedented move by a candidate for president encouraging such a foreign breach.
"Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing," the GOP presidential nominee said at a news conference in Miami on Wednesday. "I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press."
Trump was referring to the ongoing controversy surrounding the private server Clinton used while secretary of state.
Separately, the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia this week was upended by a release of hacked emails from the party committee believed to have been orchestrated by Russia. While the motive for intrusion and release of emails isn't known, many Democrats have speculated that it's a possible attempt to influence the outcome of this year's presidential election.
Pressed by NBC's Katy Tur as to whether he had any "pause about asking a foreign government ... to interfere, to hack into the system of anybody's in this country," Trump dismissed that idea and told Tur to "be quiet."
Clinton's campaign responded in disbelief and outrage to Trump's comments.
"This has to be the first time that a major presidential candidate has actively encouraged a foreign power to conduct espionage against his political opponent. That's not hyperbole, those are just the facts," Clinton senior policy adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement. "This has gone from being a matter of curiosity, and a matter of politics, to being a national security issue."
The Trump campaign appeared to try to clean up Trump's comments with a statement from his running mate, Mike Pence.
"The FBI will get to the bottom of who is behind the hacking" of the DNC emails, said Pence. If it was Russia, "I can assure you both parties and the United States government will ensure there are serious consequences."
The Indiana governor called it "outrageous" that Democrats were "singularly focusing on who might be behind" the breach and not the fallout from the leaked emails, which resulted in the ouster of Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz after some revealed the DNC was rooting for Clinton as their nominee and worked to handicap Bernie Sanders.
But then Trump, taking to his usual medium of Twitter, doubled down on his comments earlier just minutes later.
Follow Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump If Russia or any other country or person has Hillary Clinton's 33,000 illegally deleted emails, perhaps they should share them with the FBI! 10:16 AM - 27 Jul 2016 13,087 13,087 Retweets 31,783 31,783 likes Later Wednesday, Trump senior communications adviser Jason Miller maintained that the presidential candidate was simply saying anyone with Clinton's emails should turn them over to federal authorities.
Follow Jason Miller @JasonMillerinDC 3/7 To be clear, Mr. Trump did not call on, or invite, Russia or anyone else to hack Hillary Clinton’s e-mails today. 12:13 PM - 27 Jul 2016 238 238 Retweets 303 303 likes Follow Jason Miller @JasonMillerinDC 4/7 Trump was clearly saying that if Russia or others have Clinton’s 33,000 illegally deleted emails, they should share them w/ FBI immed. 12:15 PM - 27 Jul 2016 234 234 Retweets 266 266 likes Throughout the campaign, Trump has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose rule has become increasingly authoritarian. In the press conference at his own golf course, the GOP presidential nominee again said he hoped he could work with Putin and threw cold water on the idea that the Russians were behind the DNC hack.
"I'm not going to tell Putin what to do. Why should I tell Putin what to do?" Trump retorted. "He already did something today where he said don't blame them, essentially, for your incompetence."
Former CIA Director Leon Panetta called Trump's comments "totally outrageous" and questioned his loyalty to the United States.
"You've got now a presidential candidate who is in fact asking the Russians to engage in American politics," he told CNN's Christiane Amanpour.
"I just think that that's beyond the pale," Panetta, who is backing Clinton, said. "I think that kind of statement only reflects the fact that he truly is not qualified to be president of the United States."
Yes, Trump jumps into the middle of their decision/action cycle and blows it apart with his sarcastic comment.
And the MSM completely missed the sarcasm in his voice.
So predictable.
They are counting on the low information voters reading the headline and then voting on emotion.
I don’t think it will work on this issue, but it does suggest to me that the DNC knows things are about to get a lot worse as more emails are revealed.
Think about it. Where are cankle's deleted emails? The only way Russians can share them is if they already have them.
NO HE DID NOT.
HE SAID ‘FIND THEM” because the left said they were gone.
Exactly, that’s why he said this, he’s brilliant. The media likes to play these games with every Clinton crime, report it then brush it under the rug hoping people will forget especially before an election. Not this time!
She needs a dentist real bad. At least she could brush her teeth before appearances.
No he didn’t ask the Russians to hack into Hillary’s emails..... those emails were subpoenaed and Hillary says they don’t exist anymore...
So he’s only asking them to release them if they already had them before she deleted them ..
which they are required by law to do because there’s required to support any legal prosecution in the United States by treaty..
a treaty signed into law by Hillary husband Bill Clinton
Oh excellent that’s another good point yeah they weren’t on US Government server so it’s not even espionage...it’s not even as illegal is the NSA snooping on our private emails
It’s a foreign government snooping on someone else’s private emails....LOL!!!!
This is hilarious!! Trump has the Dems and MSM so twisted into knots and falling all over themselves over a joke/sarcasm. They are making total asses out of themselves!!
I’m pretty sure Trump was joking.
Besides: why would Russia hack her server when they can just buy it?
NPR lies again.
Didnt we alrwady beg Baby Bush to defund NPR? In the end, Baby Bush was as worthless as sin.
I wonder if Trump wiuld defund NPRand the NEA?
So really if Russia hacked into Hillary’s private email server in other words they looked at a private citizens of another country emails it’s not even as illegal as you going and looking at your boyfriend or girlfriend emails without permission after all is Russian really required to respect the u.s. citizens privacy rights ?.. what’s the penalty to a foreign country for snooping on a private citizen of another country email????
Former CIA Director Leon Panetta called Trump’s comments “ outrageous” and questioned his loyalty to the United States.
Hey Panetta as per your B$tch Clintoon, there was nothing classified on her emails.
Mrs Clinton said that the other 30,000 emails were “personal” ... for her daughter’s wedding to her yoga schedule– which she “chose not to keep” on file.
Hillary Clinton: I sent personal emails to my husband. Bill:
www.telegraph.co.uk › News › World News › US Politics
Yeah, am I the only one who LOL'd at this? So NOW it's a matter of national security?? LMAO!!!! Hey Jakey, "What difference does it make?" Moron.
They're trying to set up Trump so they can blame him when the next batch gets released. Except it won't work.
Increase your Metamucil there pops, you’re still full o’ sh*t.
It’s brilliance in action. Trump has lured Hillary Clinton’s top two national security advisors, Sullivan and Panetta, into asserting that the deleted 33,000 emails represent a national security issue and that trying to get at them would be “espionage”....
This despite Hillary’s continual claims that she had her lawyers delete only “personal” emails about yoga, Chelsea etc. (ofc that was never credible anyway).
So now Hillary’s national security team is on record vehemently asserting the national security important of those missing 33,000 emails.
Hillary (through her lawyers) destroyed evidence the FBI was seeking in an investigation. National security evidence. Fry the B####!!!
Chelsea is vomit worthy in any attire.
Clearly, English is not the first language of whomever wrote that language. A classic example of an ignorant, disease-ridden brain cross-dressing inference as fact.
Among millions of others, I heard it live, and Trump said no such thing.
Why would this be a National Security Issue?
I thought she used a “PRIVATE” server. In which she says was only used for her private use.
So...which is the LIE Hillary?
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