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In addition to continuing to invade Ukraine, the Russian government interfered in the 2016 US election and was behind the attempted assassination of a former Russian spy in the United Kingdom. US officials also warn that as the 2020 elections approach, the Russians are stepping up their cyber activities against the US . and have repeatedly tried to attack American power grids. "For God's sake, what made Trump think it would be a good idea to ask Russia to come back to the table ?" the FBI agent told Insider . " How does that serve the national security interests of the United States?" Read more: Trump's advisers are furious at how France is running the G7 summit: they believe Macron is trying to isolate Trump Trump's defense of Russia is renewing concerns among intelligence veterans that Trump may be a Russian "asset" who can be manipulated or influenced to serve Russian interests, although some are also speculating about the possibility that Trump he could simply be gaining favors for future business.
'We have a Russian asset sitting in the Oval Office' Trump with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Trump with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Russian Foreign Ministry Photo via AP A former high-ranking Justice Department official, who worked closely with former special counsel Robert Mueller Middle East Phone Number List when he was FBI director, had no hesitation in reacting to Trump's performance at the G7 summit : "We have a Russian asset sitting in the Oval Office." "There is no clear explanation as to why the president said these things," the former officer commented. "Freeing Russia for bullying smaller countries and then blaming Obama for it? That seems straight out of Putin's playbook.
Trump said Russia should be invited back to the G7, and that the country would be useful in dealing with such important issues as Iran, Syria and North Korea, and that it would be better to have an alliance with Russia "inside rather than outside." But Russia is a staunch ally of the Assad regime in Syria, and has also grown closer to Iran in recent years. US military and intelligence authorities view Russia as one of the US's main rivals . And they believe it generally opposes US interests. Read more: Trump is convinced there is a conspiracy to distort economic data and exaggerate the threat of a possible recession Glenn Carle, a former undercover CIA agent and frequent Trump critic, told Insider that for years he has had "no doubt" that the president is behaving like "a spy for the Russians.
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