Reid: Trump ‘may have’ broken the law with Russia remarks
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday that GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump might have broken the law when he called on Russia to obtain and leak Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s personal emails — but it wouldn’t be the first time.
“I had a number of people come up to me yesterday about the Logan Act. He may have done that. He may have violated the law,” Reid told reporters in Philadelphia on Thursday. “His business records skirted the law for a long, long time.”
{mosads}Reid’s comments come after a growing number of Democrats said they believe Trump should be investigated for violating the Logan Act, which restricts who can negotiate with foreign governments.
Trump clarified in an interview with Fox News that he was being sarcastic, but that hasn’t stopped Democrats from weighing in.
Reid captured headlines Wednesday when he said Trump should be given fake intelligence briefings.
He doubled down on that Thursday, telling reporters: “What I’ve suggested to the CIA, and I’ll suggest it here, is that I would hope they would give him fake intelligence briefings … because you can’t trust him.”
He clarified that he hadn’t actually spoken with the CIA but was sure “they’ve heard it” because of the media attention his initial comments received.
Trump’s initial comments came after WikiLeaks posted nearly 20,000 internal emails from the Democratic National Committee (DNC). There’s growing evidence that the Russian government was likely involved with the hack, though it has denied that claim.
Though the Clinton campaign has signaled it is worried additional embarrassing emails will be released, Reid brushed off concerns, saying he wasn’t worried.
“I think that the inside of what goes on, all due respect to the DNC, is not earth-shaking. I mean it’s really kind of petty politics,” he told reporters.
He added, jokingly, “Maybe what we should do is see if we can get some of the connections Trump has with Putin and see what’s coming next.”
Democrats, and some Republicans, have criticized Trump’s seemingly cozy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Reid’s comments have earned him criticism from Republicans, who argue he is crossing a line.
“It’s disturbing that Harry Reid is pressuring intelligence agencies to inject politics into their briefings,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said in a statement Thursday. “Harry Reid is playing a dangerous game when he tells intelligence officials to refuse to provide these briefings to a presidential nominee or to provide false information.”
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