Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testifies during a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee May 23, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Getty Images

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that President Donald Trump has a "complete and proper understanding" of Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. "I want you to know, President Trump has stated that he accepts our intelligence community's conclusion that Russia meddled in the 2016 election," Pompeo said in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations committee. Pompeo appeared before the committee to discuss Trump’s recent meeting in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump's war of words with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his unprecedented summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un in Singapore. "He has a complete and proper understanding of what happened," Pompeo added. "I know, I briefed him on it for over a year," the nation's top diplomat said, referencing his time as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Trump insisted he and Putin meet at the beginning of the summit without any aides present — stirring concerns that the former KGB officer would outflank his American counterpart. During a joint press conference after that meeting, Trump downplayed assessments from U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in America's presidential election and instead appeared to side with Putin. When asked, Putin said the Russian state "has never interfered and will never interfere" in American affairs, including the election process. "We should be guided by facts, not rumors," he added. Trump responded by saying, "I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today." "I don't see any reason why it would be [Russia]," Trump added.

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive for a joint news conference after their meeting in Helsinki, July 16, 2018. Grigory Dukor | Reuters