Russian President Vladimir Putin flat-out denied interfering in last year’s White House race Thursday as lawmakers in the Senate prepared to hold its first open hearing on the topic.
Speaking at the International Arctic Forum in Arkhangelsk, Russia, Mr. Putin rejected the allegations of election meddling.
“All those things are fictional, illusory and provocations, lies,” Mr. Putin said in Russian. “All these are used for domestic American political agendas. The anti-Russian card is played by different political forces inside the United States to trade on that and consolidate their positions inside.”
When pressed to answer if the Kremlin interfered in last year’s race by any means, Mr. Putin responded, translated: “Read my lips: No.”
Mr. Putin’s denial Thursday occurred hours before the Senate Intelligence Committee was slated to hold its first public hearing on the topic of Russian activities, specifically regarding the 2016 U.S. presidential race.
The U.S. intelligence community has confidently concluded that Mr. Putin ordered an influence campaign last year meant to hinder Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton as well as boost her opponent, eventual victor Donald Trump, by deploying state-sponsored hackers and Russia’s international propaganda apparatus.
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied meddling in Mr. Trump’s election, and the White House has rejected claims of any collusion on its part. Allegations of a relationship between either nonetheless linger in Washington and beyond, however, and has spawned three separate investigations by the FBI, House and Senate.
Mr. Putin’s remarks Thursday occurred during a panel discussion moderated by CNBC.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a deliberate campaign carefully constructed to undermine our election,” Senate Intel Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, Virginia Democrat, said at the start of Thursday’s hearing. “This is not innuendo or a false allegation. This is not fake news. This is what actually happened to us.”
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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