Donald Trump is backtracking on comments he made Wednesday in which he implored, "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 [Hillary Clinton] emails that are missing." On Thursday morning, Trump said he was being sarcastic. "Of course I'm being sarcastic," he told Fox News' Brian Kilmeade. "But you have 33,000 emails deleted, and the real problem is what was said on those emails from the Democratic National Committee."
It might be too little too late. Some analysts have called Trump's comments "treasonous." Former Obama CIA Director Leon Panetta told CNN, "You've got now a presidential candidate who is, in fact, asking the Russians to engage in American politics. I just think that that's beyond the pale. I think that kind of statement only reflects the fact that he truly is not qualified to be president of the United States."