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."
Um, it would be espionage if they hacked a government server.
This was a private bathroom server.
I would be embarrassed to admit Russia hacked the emails.. What else does Russia have?
NPR, Channel 13
Did you ever notice they never thank the taxpayer?
I know I am looney Conservative. I know. /s
Who knew that the size of Shrillary's yoga pants and the choice of flowers for Chelsea's wedding constituted national security issues?
Trump is probably wondering why no one has manipulated the media like this before since it is apparently extremely easy to do.
I bet when Putin heard that comment from Trump he was laughing his 4ss off.
takes the pressure off mossad :o)
Oh give it a break! If you can’t see the hand of the True and the Living God in Donald J. Trump’s life after the evidence of the past 13 months, then you are not watching and waiting. This Country in under Judgement from YHWH and Donald J. Trump is one of His chosen instruments in that Judgement. He is exposing the complete corruption in the current political system.
NPR is only doing what it is ordered to broadcast by the DNC.
HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
Good one.
Wait....wut? I thought hill and her crew said she didn’t have any criminal emails? So why are they upset? They tell us she did nothing wrong....so why all the hoopla?
LOL, I wonder how many people even know that Bill Clinton gave a speech last night.
Trump’s got them in a tizzy yet again.
“Trump will form his own weapons against himself.”
In some #NeverTrump delirium perhaps.
Vote Trump 2016
Only the dummies who tuned in for it.
...or that Barack Obama is speaking tonight.
Maybe if he’s outraged enough, he’ll reference the emails in his speech!
The Russians were reading Hillary’s email before she did. And these are the emails Assange is referring to which will be the subject of the next dump. (How I love that word in this context.) However, one should not assume that the Russians had exclusive access, which is what the democrat/communist media/entertainment propaganda complex is implying with their meme. Every intelligence agency worth two poops was reading those emails. Personally, I think these leaks are coming from Mossad’s files.
Not what he said at all
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