Trump still unsure Russia interfered in election: CNN sources

President Trump remains unconvinced of the assessment from America’s intelligence community that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, CNN reported Wednesday.

Sources close to the president tell the news network that despite continued statements from top intelligence officials, Trump still links the issue of Russian election meddling to the investigation into possible collusion between his campaign and Russia, believing the investigation to be merely an effort to prove Russia aided his election.

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Despite this, Trump’s Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and other top officials testified Tuesday that Russia did indeed interfere in the 2016 election and accessed the voter rolls of an “exceptionally small” number of states.

Trump’s view is particularly dangerous, experts warn, because Russia’s government continues to target America’s democratic institutions to this day with the intent on influencing future elections.

“There should be no doubt that Russia perceives its past efforts as successful and views the 2018 U.S. midterm elections as a potential target for Russian influence operations,” Coats testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday.

FBI Director Christopher Wray added in his testimony this week that Trump has not specifically ordered him to take action to counter Russian efforts ahead of the 2018 midterm elections in November.

The president has frequently dismissed the “Russia story,” saying it was invented by Democrats to explain losing the 2016 presidential election and, while he has acknowledged his belief that Russia hacked U.S. systems during the 2016 election, he has frequently maintained that “other countries” were likely involved in similar efforts.

The head of the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity division told The Hill in a recent interview that she is worried Russia will continue to act against America’s institutions in the future.

“I will always be worried about it and it is always something that entities are going to look to influence our democratic processes,” Jeanette Manfra said. “As a country, we should be in a position to counter that.”