During a Special Report interview, Fox News host Bret Baier pressed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen about President Donald Trump’s “mixed messages” on Russian election interference and asked if Trump “truly” believes the Kremlin will try to meddle in the midterms.

Baier pointed Nielsen to Trump’s recent meeting and presser with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, in which the president said he holds “both countries responsible” and said he believes Putin’s claim that he did not meddle in the 2016 election. The Fox News host then noted that Trump later took back the remark, saying that he meant to say Russia did interfere.

“There’s a lot of mixed messages over the past week and a half,” Baier noted. “Does the president truly believe that Russia is going to try to attack the midterm elections?”

Nielsen responded by defending the president and quickly changing the subject to how the US can stop Russian interference:

“The president believes in the intel assessments from the last election and I think the key here is we know they have the capabilities, we know they have the intent. We see it in their foreign influence campaigns and we sought in their attempts to hack the election. We have to be prepared. DHS’ portfolio will continue to work with state and locals on the election process but we have to be very clear, the capability and the intent of the Russians is there. We must prepare for them to attempt to sow discord.”

After being questioned by Baier again on Trump’s flip flopping, Nielsen said she thinks “he clarified” and “has made clear that he does believe the intel assessment from last year.”

Watch above, via Fox News.

[image via screengrab]

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