Donald Trump back to doubting Russian election interference following week of walk-backs, calls the idea 'big hoax'

Washington: Capping a week of drama, backtracking, a double negative and blistering statements from allies about his attitude toward Russian election interference, President Donald Trump was back to referring to “a big hoax.” Trump spent days trying to reassure the country that he accepts that the longtime foe interfered in the 2016 election after his public undermining of US intelligence agencies in Helsinki while standing alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump’s latest missive came hours after he asserted without evidence that newly released documents relating to the wiretapping of his one-time campaign adviser Carter Page “confirm with little doubt” that intelligence agencies misled the court that approved the warrant. Visible portions of the heavily redacted documents, released Saturday under the Freedom of Information Act, show the FBI telling the court that Page “has been collaborating and conspiring with the Russian government.” The agency also told the court that “the FBI believes Page has been the subject of targeted recruitment by the Russian government.” The documents were part of officials’ application for a warrant to the secretive foreign intelligence surveillance court, which signed off on surveilling Page. A page-long footnote in the warrant application lays out the FBI’s assessment of Steele’s history and the likely interest of his backer, adding that despite the political concern, the bureau believed at least some of his report to be “credible.” Democratic Representative Adam Schiff of California, a ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, said the documents detail “just why the FBI was so concerned that Carter Page might be acting as an agent of a foreign power.” “It was a solid application and renewals signed by four different judges appointed by three different Republican presidents,” Schiff said on ABC’s “This Week.” Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida also broke with Trump, saying he didn’t think the FBI did anything wrong in obtaining warrants against Page.