President Trump calls alleged 2016 campaign contact with Russia 'non-sense'

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump called reports that his 2016 campaign team was in "constant" contact with senior Russian intelligence officials "non-sense," alleging that the news "is merely an attempt to cover up the many mistakes made in Hillary Clinton's losing campaign."

U.S. officials told The New York Times and CNN that they intercepted phone calls by members of Trump's campaign, proving the connection, a revelation that came just hours after former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn resigned from his post following The Washington Post's reports that the Justice Department warned the White House that Flynn had discussed sanctions with Russia's ambassador before Trump's inauguration, and could be subject to blackmail.

Trump has argued that the "illegal leaks" are the "real story," and on Wednesday added: "Information is being illegally given to the failing @nytimes & @washingtonpost by the intelligence community (NSA and FBI?). Just like Russia." The Kremlin also called the reports "not based on any facts."

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