Trump says he'd accept dirt on opponents offered by foreign governments

George Stephanopoulos and Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/ABC News)

President Trump is open to foreign governments giving him political dirt on his opponents, he told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on Wednesday.

"I think you might want to listen, there isn't anything wrong with listening," Trump said. "If somebody called from a country, Norway, [and said] 'we have information on your opponent,' oh, I think I'd want to hear it."

Trump added that he does not consider a foreign government sharing information on a political opponent interference in the election process. "If I thought there was something wrong, I'd go maybe to the FBI — if I thought there was something wrong," he said. "But when somebody comes up with oppo research ... the FBI doesn't have enough agents to take care of it."

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The Trump campaign's interactions with Russian officials during the 2016 presidential election were scrutinized by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and are also being investigated by congressional panels. Catherine Garcia

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.