Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, said he wished President Trump "made a different statement" on Russia's interference in the 2016 election than the one made in Helsinki.

Coats added that he thinks "that now that has been clarified."

On Wednesday, the President said he misspoke during his news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland. He said he should have used the word "wouldn't" instead of "would."

During the news conference, Trump said, "I don't see any reason why it would be" Russia that interfered in the election.

After Trump's remarks on Monday, Coats, without consulting the White House, decided to reassert the intelligence community's assessment that Moscow interfered in the 2016 election.

In the statement, Coats said: