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Vladimir Putin 'can provide record' of Donald Trump's Russia meeting

Our Foreign Staff Ruth Sherlock, washington 17 MAY 2017 • 3:06PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/17/vladimir-putin-ready-provide-record-donald-trumps-meeting-russian/

Putin: I can provide record of Lavrov meeting
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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Moscow could provide a record of the exchange between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US President Donald Trump, who is accused of sharing classified intelligence.

"If the US administration finds it possible, we are ready to provide a recording of the conversation between Lavrov and Trump to the US Congress and Senate," Mr Putin said during a press conference.

He later clarified that he could provide a transcript, not a recording.

Mr Putin also described US politicians whipping up "anti-Russian sentiment" as either "stupid" or "dangerous".

The comments come after potentially explosive reports on Tuesday night that Donald Trump asked James Comey, the former FBI director, to end an investigation into Michael Flynn's links to Russia.

“I hope you can let this go,” Mr Trump reportedly told Mr Comey, the day after Mr Flynn, the former national security adviser, had resigned over his undeclared contacts with Moscow.

The New York Times cited a memo that Mr Comey wrote shortly after the meeting with the US president in early February. Mr Trump fired Mr Comey, who was leading the investigation into links between the Trump campaign and Russia, last week.

If confirmed, it would be evidence that the US president had directly tried to influence the FBI investigation.

Auto update
On
3:06pm
Republicans reject Putin's offer to share transcripts of Trump's meeting with Russian officials
Both Republicans and Democrats have dismissed Putin’s offer to help US politicians ascertain whether Mr Trump did share highly classified intelligence with Moscow.

“The idea that we would accept any evidence from President Putin is absurd,” Susan Collins a Republican senator from Maine told CNN.

“Its credibility would be less than zero,” Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said on CBS.

Adam Kinzinger, a Republican congressman was even more passionate: “I don’t talk to murderous dictators,” he said on CBS.

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/17/vladimir-putin-ready-provide-record-donald-trumps-meeting-russian/