Trump says not aware of any contacts with Russia

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says “nobody that I know of” on his campaign staff contacted Russian officials.

Trump initially did not provide a straight yes or no answer on whether or not anyone on his staff had made those contacts. When pressed by reporters at a Thursday news conference, he said he wasn’t aware of any.

During a sometimes-combative news conference that last for 75 minutes, he repeatedly denied having links with Russia, a claim he deemed “fake news.”

Trump asked for the resignation of Michael Flynn after the national security adviser misled the vice president about his conversations with a Russian official.

Flynn admitted that he discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. Trump said Thursday that he did not order that conversation, but he “would have directed” him to have that conversation had he known.

Trump also said he is tailoring his executive order over the policy to allow undocumented minors to stay temporarily in the U.S. to a decision handed down by the courts.

The president said Thursday he is going to “deal with DACA with heart.”

DACA allows young adults to get work permits and Social Security numbers and protects them from deportation.

Ending DACA is part of the president’s broader plan to crack down on illegal immigration, which was a cornerstone of his campaign. Trump says he’ll focus his efforts on those in the country illegally who have criminal records.

Trump says he needs to convince politicians that “what I am saying is right.”

He says he has the “best lawyers” working on DACA now and the “new executive order is being tailored to the decision we got from the court.”