LOC21:55
18:55 GMT
WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (KUNA) -- US President Donald Trump stressed Sunday that Russia "succeeded beyond their wildest dreams" if its intention was to create "discord" within the US.
Up to 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies were indicted on Friday by US Special Counsel Robert Muller for "committing federal crimes while seeking to interfere in the United States political system, including the 2016 presidential election."
Trump said in a tweet "if it was the GOAL of Russia to create discord, disruption and chaos within the US then, with all of the Committee Hearings, Investigations and Party hatred, they have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams."
"Get smart America," he tweeted.
He said in a separate tweet "I never said Russia did not meddle in the elections, I said "it may be Russia, or China or another country or group, or it may be a 400 pound genius sitting in bed and playing with his computer.
"The Russian "hoax" was that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia - it never did," he remarked.
Trump also tweeted late last night it is "very sad that the FBI missed all of the many signals sent out by the Florida school shooter. This is not acceptable."
This comes after the FBI acknowledged that a month before 17 students were killed at a Parkland, Florida high school, it received a warning that the now suspect, Nikolas Cruz, 19, might carry out such an attack but investigators failed to act on it.
Trump added that the FBI "are spending too much time trying to prove Russian collusion with the Trump campaign - there is no collusion."
He called on them to "get back to the basics and make us all proud." (end)
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