President Donald J. Trump of the United States sought to backtrack on his earlier statements made during the US-Russia Helsinki summit regarding Moscow's alleged involvement in the 2016 US Presidential election.
At the joint press conference held on Monday, July 16, at the Finnish capital, Trump cleared off Vladimir Putin who initially was suspected to have played a hand in the POTUS' victory against a then-running opponent, Hillary Clinton.
The statement, which inadvertently put the credibility of the US intelligence in question, drew negative reactions everywhere, even from his own people who outwardly rebuked the outcome of his Monday's press performance.
On Tuesday, July 17, Trump clarified to the press at the White House Cabinet meeting that he only had misspoken what he intended to say, belying his initial Helsinki statement.
"In a key sentence in my remarks, I said the word 'would' instead of 'wouldn't,'" the US President was quoted as saying over at CNN.
"The sentence should have been: 'I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be Russia,' "he went on to say. "Sort of a double negative."
In this recent turn of events, the businessman-politician also said that he still has his "full faith and support" in the US intelligence agencies, adding that he fully accepts their "conclusion" pointing out to Russia's meddling of the 2016 election.
According to CNN, there were talks hinting of an impending mass resignation from members of the intelligence community, with Dan Coats on the helm, should Trump fail to admit his errors.
Coats, the White House intelligence chief was quick to release a statement on Monday, in response to Trump's, and in defense of his agency's credibility.
Meanwhile, Trump insisted in his recent White House briefing on the possibility that "other people" could also be involved in the ruckus.
He, however, maintained that the reported data interference couldn't directly have impacted his victory against Clinton.
Putin, on his part, said at Helsinki that he supported Trump's candidacy only because he agrees with the Republican leader's proposed policies.
Critics of the administration such as former Central Intelligence Agency Chief John Brennan had branded Trump as someone who is "wholly in the pocket of Putin," in light of his Helsinki statement.
Meanwhile, Newt Gingchi, a Republican ally, calls it one of the biggest mistakes that the President has ever committed.
The 2018 bilateral meeting between the US and the Russian Federation followed Trump's earlier visit to the United Kingdom where he and First Lady Melania Trump met Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle.
