Former Vice President Joe Biden said Russian meddling did not happen on his or former President Barack Obama’s watch during an interview with CNN that aired Friday.
Biden, a 2020 presidential contender, made the claim despite years of media scrutiny over Russian interference in the 2016 election, which would have taken place while he and Obama were in office.
WATCH:
“Look at what’s happening with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” Biden told CNN’s Chris Cuomo. “While Putin is trying to undo our elections, he is undoing elections in Europe. Look what’s happened in Hungary. Look what’s happened in Poland. Look what’s happened in Moldova. You think that would happen on my watch or Barack’s watch? You can’t answer that, but I promise you it wouldn’t have, and it didn’t.”
Biden’s references to the Eastern European countries come after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged countries in Central and Eastern Europe to resist Chinese and Russian influence during a speech in Warsaw, Poland, on Feb. 12.
Biden accused the administration of weakening NATO and strengthening Putin in Friday’s CNN interview. President Donald Trump demanded that NATO countries increase their defense commitments to the alliance in July 2018. (RELATED: On Debating Trump, Biden Says He Would ‘Smack’ Bullies)
Trump questioned Obama’s response to 2016 Russian interference ahead of Attorney General William Barr’s testimony on the special counsel’s report in May.
Why didn’t President Obama do something about Russia in September (before November Election) when told by the FBI? He did NOTHING, and had no intention of doing anything!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 1, 2019
“Why didn’t President Obama do something about Russia in September (before November Election) when told by the FBI? He did NOTHING, and had no intention of doing anything!” Trump wrote on Twitter May 1.
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