A former Watergate prosecutor compared President Trump’s widely condemned comments at a press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin to the attack on Pearl Harbor and violence against the Jews during Kristallnacht.

Trump declined to defend the U.S. intelligence community’s findings that Russia interfered in the 2016 election and said Russia's involvement is unclear in light of Putin's denial, which Jill Wine-Banks said turned the event into an epic disaster.

“It’s just as serious to me as the Cuban missile crisis in terms of an attack or the 9/11 attack,” Wine-Banks said on MSNBC of Trump’s remarks at the Helsinki summit.

“His performance today will live in infamy as much as the Pearl Harbor attack or Kristallnacht,” she continued.



“His performance today will live in infamy as much as the Pearl Harbor attack or Kristallnacht.”



- Fmr. Watergate Prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks on Trump’s comments at the Helsinki summit pic.twitter.com/pp5YuNw1pi — Ali Velshi (@AliVelshi) July 17, 2018



Trump was criticized by Democrats and Republicans, including some of his staunchest defenders, for dismissing Russian interference during the press conference.

Last week, special counsel Robert Mueller brought charges against 12 Russian intelligence officials for hacking into computers and email accounts belonging to the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton’s campaign.