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'

Former President Jimmy Carter questioned whether Donald Trump was a legitimate president during a panel on human rights in Virginia on Friday. (AP)

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