Jimmy Carter questions Trump’s legitimacy, says he was ‘put into office because the Russians interfered’
'[Trump] lost the election and he was put into office because the Russians interfered on his behalf'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Jimmy Carter has publicly questioned the legitimacy of Donald Trump’s election in 2016 at a public event.
The former president was speaking on a human rights panel in Virginia on Friday when he made the statements that drew swift national headlines.
“There is no doubt that the Russians did interfere in the election,” Mr Carter began.
“I think the interference, though not yet quantified, if fully investigated would show that Trump didn't actually win the election in 2016,” he continued. “[Trump] lost the election and he was put into office because the Russians interfered on his behalf."
The US intelligence community asserted in a 2017 report that Russia had worked to help Mr Trump during the election and to undermine the candidacy of Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.
But the intelligence agencies did not assess whether that interference had affected the election or contributed to Mr Trump's victory, and no evidence has emerged that votes were changed improperly.
Special counsel Robert Mueller's report identified two criminal schemes by Russia to interfere in the election: the hacking of Democratic email accounts and a social media campaign to spread disinformation online and sway public opinion.
However, Mr Mueller's report did not establish that Russia conspired with any Trump associates in those efforts.
Additional reporting by AP
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments