WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01) released a statement following President Donald Trump’s meeting and press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The President’s statements today were a disappointment to the American people. There should be no scenario where the President of the United States, regardless of political party, stands up on the international stage and denounces the work of our nation’s intelligence community while praising a foreign leader who has so blatantly ordered an attack on our very democracy. These comments come after he derided our government’s policies as foolish and stupid in a tweet,” said Rep. O’Halleran. “Today’s meeting and press conference were a slap in the face to all of the brave men and women in our military and civilian intelligence agencies as they work to get to the bottom of Russia’s efforts to meddle in our elections.”

During a press conference in Helsinki, Finland, President Donald Trump, standing next to Vladimir Putin, accepted Russia’s denial regarding their interference in the 2016 elections. United States intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia implemented cyber-attacks meant to destabilize our election. Last week, 12 Russian military intelligence officials were indicted over this interference by special counsel Robert Mueller.

Earlier today, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats released a statement saying, "The role of the Intelligence Community is to provide the best information and fact-based assessments possible for the President and policymakers. We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and their ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy, and we will continue to provide unvarnished and objective intelligence in support of our national security."

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