Trump on allegations of hiding details of his interactions with Putin
Denying reports of hiding details of some of his meetings with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump has said he would not mind releasing those details. Following reports that claimed Trump has concealed details of his face-to-face encounters with Putin from senior officials in administration, the US president said, "Well, I would (release details of the conversations with Putin), I am not keeping anything under wraps.”
"I don't care. I mean I had a conversation like every president does, you sit with the president of various countries. We had a great conversation. We were talking about Israel and securing Israel and lots of other things and it was a great conversation. I'm not keeping anything under wraps. I couldn't care less," he said.
Trump further described the news report as "ridiculous".
"I meet with every leader individually. I meet with (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi. I meet with (Shinzo) Abe (of Japan), I meet with them. Nobody says anything. But, I meet with Putin, they make a big deal. Anybody could have listened to that meeting. That meeting is open for grabs," Trump said, denying the report.
According to the report, Trump has gone to "extraordinary lengths" to conceal details of his conversations with Putin, including on at least one occasion taking possession of the notes of his own interpreter and instructing the linguist not to discuss what had transpired with other administration officials.
"Trump did so after a meeting with Putin in 2017 in Hamburg that was also attended by then-secretary of state Rex Tillerson. US officials learned of Trump's actions when a White House adviser and a senior State Department official sought information from the interpreter beyond a readout shared by Tillerson," it said.
Following the report, the US officials said there is no detailed record, even in classified files, of Trump's face-to-face interactions with the Russian leader at five locations over the past two years.
"I think it's the most insulting thing I've ever been asked," Trump said when asked if he has ever worked for Russia.
