Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Brett Neely, NPR

Trump says he was being 'sarcastic' in asking Russia to 'find' Clinton's emails

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Donald Trump makes a campaign stop in Scranton, Pa., on Wednesday. He faced a day of harsh criticism from across the political spectrum for appearing to urge Russia to hack his Democratic rival's email.
Donald Trump makes a campaign stop in Scranton, Pa., on Wednesday. He faced a day of harsh criticism from across the political spectrum for appearing to urge Russia to hack his Democratic rival's email.
John Moore

A day after shocking the political and foreign policy establishments on both sides of the aisle with a call for Russia to hack into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's email, Republican nominee Donald Trump now says he was being "sarcastic."

Less than 24 hours earlier, Trump said he would welcome Russian hackers releasing any emails they could "find" from the private email server Clinton used while serving as secretary of state.

"Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing," Trump said at a news conference in Miami on Wednesday. "I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press." He also tweeted: "If Russia or any other country or person has Hillary Clinton's 33,000 illegally deleted emails, perhaps they should share them with the FBI!"

Trump's comments came days after Wikileaks released thousands of internal Democratic National Committee emails that are believed to have been stolen by hackers allied with Russia.

"Of course I'm being sarcastic," Trump said in a Thursday morning interview with Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade. "But you have 33,000 emails deleted, and the real problem is what was said on those emails from the Democratic National Committee. You take a look at what was said on those emails, it's disgraceful."

Trump's initial comments were quickly condemned by the Clinton campaign, many in the foreign policy community and scores of Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, whose spokesman said Russia is "a global menace led by a devious thug" and that Russian President Vladimir Putin "should stay out of this election."

On Wednesday night, former CIA Director and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta spoke about Trump's comments on the emails during his speech before the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

"Today, Donald Trump once again took Russia's side," Panetta said. "He asked the Russians to interfere in American politics."

Kilmeade also asked Trump about his past comments expressing admiration for Putin:

Kilmeade: When you look at Vladimir Putin, you said he's a great leader of his country, but he's also a guy that -- Trump: No, I didn't say that. I said he's a better leader than Obama. I said he's a better leader than Obama, because Obama's not a leader, so he's certainly doing a better job than Obama is, and that's all. Now look, you have to understand, Putin — if we could get along with Russia, I think that would be a good thing, not a bad thing. We don't get along with Russia. We practically don't get along with too many.

Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.