Trump walks back his US-Russia cyber security unit

Trump walks back his US-Russia cyber security unit

President Donald Trump backtracked late Sunday on his widely panned proposal to team up with Russia's Vladimir Putin in forming a cyber security unit that would combat hacking.

In a tweet that he posted just before 6pm Eastern time, Trump acknowledged that the idea of a joint US-Russia cyber security team was far-fetched, though he did tout a ceasefire in Syria that he says resulted from his meeting with Putin in Hamburg on Friday. 

'The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesn't mean I think it can happen,' Trump tweeted. 

'It can't - but a ceasefire can, and did!' the president tweeted. 

Trump's idea was harshly criticized by Republicans who said Moscow could not be trusted after its alle ged meddling in the 2016 US election.

President Donald Trump (seen above after he arrived at the White House on Saturday) backtracked late Sunday on his widely panned proposal to team up with Russia's Vladimir Putin in forming a cyber security unit that would combat hacking

Tweeting after his first meeting with Putin on Friday, Trump said now was the time to work constructively with Moscow, pointing to a ceasefire deal in southwest Syria that came into effect on Sunday.

'Putin and I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, and many other negative things, will be guarded and safe,' he said following their talks at a summit of the Group of 20 nations in Hamburg, Germany.

Three Republican senators - Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, John McCain of Arizona and Marco Rubio of Florida - blasted the idea.

'It's not the dumbest idea I have ever heard but it's pretty close,' Graham told NBC's Meet the Press program, saying that Trump's apparent willingness to 'forgive and forget' stiffened his resolve to pass legislation imposing sanctions on Russia. 

Trump claimed on Twitter he confronted Putin over Russia's interference in the 2016 election at the G20 summit during their meeting in Hamburg on Friday

'There has been no penalty,' McCain, who chairs the Senate armed services committee, told CBS' Face the Nation. 

'Vladimir Putin ... got away with literally trying to change the outcome ... of our election.

'Yes, it's time to move forward. But there has to be a price to pay,' he added.

Rubio, on Twitter, said: 'Partnering with Putin on a "Cyber Security Unit" is akin to partnering with (Syrian President Bashar al) Assad on a "Chemical Weapons Unit".'

Trump argued for rapprochement with Moscow in his campaign but has been unable to deliver because his administration has been dogged by investigations into the allegations of Russian inter ference in the election and ties with his campaign.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating the matter, including whether there may have been any collusion on the part of Trump campaign officials, as are congressional committees including both the House and Senate intelligence panels.

Those probes are focused almost exclusively on Moscow´s actions, lawmakers and intelligence officials say, and no evidence has surfaced publicly implicating other countries despite Trump's suggestion that others could have been involved.

'I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion,' Trump wrote on Twitter Sunday morning

Trump discussed his meeting with Putin, attacked the DNC and President Obama, called out 'fake news', and said Russia will not face new sanctions - all in the space of six tweets

Trump returned to Twitter on Sunday afternoon to talk-up the ceasefire in Syria, which was reached after weeks of negotiations between the US, Russia, and Jordan

Moscow has denied any interference, and Trump says his campaign did not collude with Russia.

Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN's State of the Union program Russia could not be a credible partner in a cyber security unit.

'If that´s our best election defense, we might as well just mail our ballot boxes to Moscow,' Schiff added.

Separately, US government officials said that a recent hack into business systems of US nuclear power and other energy companies was carried out by Russian government hackers, The Washington Post reported on Saturday.

Trump said he 'strongly pr essed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it.'

He added: 'We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!'

In Trump's first attempt at ending the six-year Syrian civil war, the United States, Russia and Jordan on Friday reached a ceasefire and 'de-escalation agreement' for southwestern Syria. 

The ceasefire was holding hours after it took effect on Sunday, a monitor and two rebel officials said. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said President Trump's idea to form a 'cyber security unit' with the Russians to prevent future hacking was 'pretty close' to the dumbest idea ever 

Meet the Press host Chuck Todd (left) queried Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. (right), on President Trump's latest tweets about Russia 

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., was among the Republicans who smacked down President Trump's idea

Sens. John McCain (left) and Marco Rubio (right) gave sarcastic responses to President Trump's idea that the Russians would be a good partner on cyber security

In another tweet, Trump contradicted his Secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, by saying 'sanctions were not discussed at my meeting with President Putin. Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian and Syrian problems are solved!'

The United States has imposed sanctions on Russia for its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Tillerson on Friday told reporters Trump had told Putin US lawmakers were pushing for additional sanctions against Russia.

The Senate has passed legislation which would put into law sanctions, including on mining and other industries, previously established via former President Barack Obama's executive orders. 

The bill must pass the House of Representatives before it could go to the White House for Trump's signature or veto.

McCain criticized Tillerson for having said about Syria, 'by and large, our (US and Russian) objectives are exactly the same. How we get there, we each have a view. Maybe they have got the right approach and we have got the wrong approach.'

Russia, and Iran, have backed keeping Assad in power. 

Trump, like his predecessor Barack Obama, has focused on fighting Islamic State, leaving for later the question of Assad's fate.

'The Russians knew that Bashar al-Assad was going to use chemical weapons. And to say that maybe we have got the wrong approach?' McCain said. 

Asked if he regretted voting for Tillerson as secretary of state, he replied: 'Sometimes I do.'

قالب وردپرس

Tweet

Subscribe to receive free email updates: