Former Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta says the notion that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to swing the election is “still an open question.”
“I would argue it’s very much unknown whether there was collusion,” Mr. Podesta said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Mr. Podesta, whose emails were published by WikiLeaks after his personal Gmail account was compromised during the race, pointed to links between the Trump campaign and Russia’s intelligence apparatus.
“Roger Stone in August foreshadowed the fact that they had hacked my emails those would be forthcoming when he said he was in touch with Julian Assange and WikiLeaks,” Mr. Podesta said, referring to the former campaign adviser who stepped down in August 2015.
“Carter Page, one of Trump’s foreign policy advisers, went to Russia before the Republican convention and met with the person in the Russian hierarchy who was responsible for collecting intelligence,” Mr. Podesta said. “So, really, not what Mr. Trump knew, but what did Trump, Inc. know, and when did they know it? Were they in touch with the Russians?”
He said members of the Electoral College members should be briefed on the role that the hacks played in the election outcome before they vote on Monday.
“I think those are still open questions, and the electors have a right to know what the answers are if the U.S. government has those answers before the election,” he said.
WikiLeaks has denied the Russian government’s involvement in the hack.
• Bradford Richardson can be reached at brichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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