White House says ‘threat’ from Russia still exists

Washington (AFP) – The White House said Wednesday that Russia continues to pose a threat to the US electoral system, just hours after President Donald Trump appeared to dismiss the threat.

“We believe the threat still exists, which is why we are taking steps to prevent it,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.

Earlier Wednesday at a cabinet meeting, Trump replied “no” when asked by reporters whether Russia was still targeting the United States.

That assertion would contradict the assessment of US intelligence chief Dan Coats, who said on Monday that Russia’s interference was “ongoing.”

But Sanders said Trump was only saying “no” to further questions from reporters and not in response to the question on Russia.