George W. Bush: 'Clear evidence Russians meddled' in election

Kim Hjelmgaard | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption George W. Bush: 'pretty clear evidence' Russia meddled in the election Former President George W. Bush addressed Russian election interference Thursday at an economic summit in the Middle East. Veuer's Nick Cardona has that story.

Former president George W. Bush appeared to take aim at President Trump on Thursday when he said at an economic summit that there was "pretty clear evidence that the Russians meddled" in the 2016 U.S. election.

Bush did not directly name Trump during his talk in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. He appeared there as part of a conference by the Milken Institute, a think tank based in Santa Monica, Calif.

"Whether (Russia) affected the outcome is another question," Bush said. "It’s problematic that a foreign nation is involved in our election system. Our democracy is only as good as people trust the results."

Intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia meddled in the presidential election, and numerous investigations are underway to determine whether Trump’s campaign aided the Kremlin. Trump has consistently disputed allegations of Russian interference in the race or that members of his campaign team in any way "colluded" with Moscow.

George W. Bush: Russia meddled in 2016 election Former President George W. Bush said on Thursday that "there's pretty clear evidence that the Russians meddled" in the 2016 presidential election, forcefully rebutting fellow Republican Donald Trump's denials of Moscow trying to affect the vote. (Feb. 8)

More: Trump still won't commit to testifying under oath in Mueller investigation

More: Russia already meddling in U.S. midterm elections, Tillerson says

Bush described Russian President Vladimir Putin as "zero-sum."

"He can’t think, ‘How can we both win?’ He only thinks, ‘How do I win, you lose?’” Bush said.

"He’s got a chip on his shoulder. The reason he does is because of the demise of the Soviet Union troubles him. Therefore, much of his moves (are) to regain Soviet hegemony. ... That’s why NATO is very important."

U.S. must act now to ward off Russian election meddling in 2018 A new report reveals Russian President Vladimir Putin has spent the past 20 years meddling in democracies and could continue in 2018 and 2020. Nathan Rousseau Smith (@FantasticMrNate) has the details.

It wasn't the first time Bush has spoken publicly about alleged Russian interference in the election. In an address in New York last year, he said: "The Russian government has made a project of turning Americans against each other."