Officials wish Trump denial was more forceful

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Officials are expressing regret that President Donald Trump didn’t more clearly and forcefully deny working on behalf of Russia when asked during a Fox News interview.

That’s according to aides and Republicans close to the White House who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss private conversations.

The New York Times reported that law-enforcement officials began investigating, in 2017, whether Trump had been working on behalf of Russia against U.S. interests. When asked about the Times report, Trump said, “I think it’s the most insulting thing I’ve ever been asked. I think it’s the most insulting article I’ve ever had written, and if you read the article you’ll see that they found absolutely nothing.”

Trump went on to assert that no president has taken a harder stance against Russia than he has.

In the same interview, Trump also objected to a report in The Washington Post that said he went to extraordinary lengths to conceal details of his conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin even from high-ranking officials in his own administration.

In other Trump news, a U.S. judge in California on Sunday blocked Trump administration rules, which would allow more employers to opt out of providing women with no-cost birth control, from taking effect in 13 states and Washington, D.C.

Judge Haywood Gilliam granted a request for a preliminary injunction by California, 12 other states and Washington, D.C. The plaintiffs sought to prevent the rules from taking effect as scheduled today while a lawsuit against them moved forward.

But Judge Gilliam limited the scope of the ruling to the plaintiffs, rejecting their request that he block the rules nationwide.

The changes would allow more employers, including publicly traded companies, to opt out of providing no-cost contraceptive coverage to women by claiming religious objections. Some private employers could also object on moral grounds.

California and the other states argue that women would be forced to turn to state-funded programs for birth control and experience unintended pregnancies.