HELSINKI - President Donald Trump is dismissing suggestions that Russia has compromising intelligence about him after a news conference in which Trump declined to criticize President Vladimir Putin for Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Trump tells Fox News' Sean Hannity that Putin "said as strongly as you can say it, they have no information on Trump."
Trump adds, "And one thing you know: If they had it, it would have been out."
He says "it's a shame" that he and Putin had to answer questions about the investigation into Russian election interference.
During the news conference in Helsinki Monday, Putin ridiculed allegations that Russian intelligence agencies had collected compromising information on Trump during his visit to Moscow years before the election. Putin called the allegations "sheer nonsense."
Putin says his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump is the beginning of Russia's path back from Western isolation.
Putin spoke to Fox News after his summit Monday with Trump.
The Russian leader says the recent U.S. indictment against 12 Russian military officials accused of hacking crimes during the 2016 presidential election is part of an internal political game. He is denying state-sanctioned Russian interference in the election.
Putin also denies having compromising information on Trump and says he "was of no interest for us" before he announced his run for presidency,
When asked why so many of his critics wind up dead, Putin is blaming troubles with crime in Russia and noting the U.S. has struggled, too, citing John F. Kennedy's assassination and clashes between police and civilians.
Facing withering bipartisan criticism over his refusal to publicly acknowledge Russian election meddling during his meeting with President Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump says the two superpowers "must get along."
In a Monday tweet sent as he is flying back to the U.S. aboard Air Force One, Trump says, "As I said today and many times before, 'I have GREAT confidence in MY intelligence people.'"
He adds, "However, I also recognize that in order to build a brighter future, we cannot exclusively focus on the past - as the world's two largest nuclear powers, we must get along!"
Trump met with Putin for three hours Monday before participating in a joint press conference in which Trump did not contest the Russian leader's election meddling denials.
U.S. intelligence agencies have unanimously concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 campaign, most likely to help Trump's campaign.
