Full Context of Trump’s Remarks About Hillary Clinton’s Emails & Russia

Democrats often claim that Trump colluded with Russia because he publicly called for Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s emails during a July 27, 2016 press conference. In fact, Trump did nothing of the sort, as evidenced by the full context of his remarks.

Instead, Trump repeatedly stated that China, Russia, or an independent hacker has probably ALREADY hacked Clinton’s email server, and if they did, they should release the 33,000 emails that Clinton destroyed after she received a subpoena for them.

The media then took a sarcastic quip out of context to make it seem like Trump asked Russia to hack Clinton’s emails.

Here’s the complete transcript of Trump’s remarks about this matter.

OFF-MIC QUESTION

TRUMP: … The e-mail situation—I call it the double e-mail situation, both very serious. What was said in the last ones to the DNC was horrible, absolutely horrible. If I would have used language like they used about religion, about race, about everything else that they discuss in those emails, I would have had to run and hide and probably drop out of the race. With her, everything’s just fine. So, just ask yourself, why she doesn’t have news conferences.

…

OFF-MIC QUESTION

TRUMP: It’s just a total deflection, this whole thing with Russia. In fact, I saw her campaign manager—I don’t know his title, Mook. I saw him on television, and they asked him about Russia and the hacking. By the way, if they hacked, they probably have her 33,000 e-mails. I hope they do. They probably have her 33,000 e-mails that she lost and deleted because you’d see some beauties there. So let’s see.

But I watched this guy Mook, and he talked about “We think it was Russia that hacked.” Now, first of all, it what was said on those that’s so bad, but he said, I watched it, I think he was live. He said, “We think it was Russia that hacked.” And then he said—and this is in-person sitting watching television as I’ve been doing—and then he said, “Ahh, could be Trump, yeah, yeah. Trump, Trump, oh yeah, Trump.” He reminded me of Jon Lovitz—for Saturday Night Live in “The Liar”—where he’d go, “Yeah, yeah, I went to Harvard, Harvard, yeah, yeah.” This is the guy, you have to see it, “Yeah, could be Trump, yeah, yeah.”

So, it is so far-fetched, it’s so ridiculous. Honestly, I wish I had that power, I’d love to have that power, but Russia has no respect for our country, and that’s why—if it is Russia, nobody even knows—it’s probably China, or it could be somebody sitting in his bed—but it shows how weak we are. It shows how disrespected we are. Total aside, assuming it’s Russia or China or one of the major countries and competitors, it’s a total sign of disrespect for our country. Putin and the leaders throughout the world have no respect for our country anymore, and they certainly have no respect for our leader. So, I know nothing about it, it’s one of the most farfetched I’ve ever heard.

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OFF-MIC QUESTION

TRUMP: I never met Putin, I don’t know who Putin is. He said one nice thing about me. He said I’m a genius. I said thank you very much to the newspaper, and that was the end of it. I never met Putin.

OFF-MIC QUESTION

TRUMP: None.

OFF-MIC QUESTION

Because it’s under audit. I’ll release them when the audit is completed. Nobody would release when it’s under audit. I’ve had audits for 15 or 16 years. Every year, I have a routine audit. I’m under audit, when the audit is complete I’ll release them. But zero, I mean I will tell you right now, zero, I have nothing to do with Russia.

OFF-MIC QUESTION

TRUMP: I’m not going to tell Putin what to do. Why should I tell Putin what to do? He already did something today where he said don’t blame them essentially for your incompetence. Let me tell you, it’s not even about Russia or China or whoever is it is that is doing the hacking.

It was about the things that were said in those emails. They were terrible things. Talking about Jewish, talking about race, talking about atheist, trying to pin labels on people. What was said was a disgrace, and it was Debby Wasserman Shultz. And believe me, as sure as you’re sitting there, Hillary Clinton knew about it. She knew everything. Debbie Wasserman Schultz could not breathe without speaking and getting approval from Hillary Clinton—couldn’t breathe. And you saw that.

It also showed that it was a fixed race, but I’d been saying that long before I saw the emails. It was a rigged race. It was totally rigged, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz rigged it for Hillary Clinton.

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OFF-MIC QUESTION

TRUMP: What do I have to get involved with Putin for? I have nothing to do with Putin. I’ve never spoken to him. I don’t know anything about him other than he will respect me. He doesn’t respect our President. And if it is Russia—which it’s probably not, nobody knows who it is—but if it is Russia, it’s really bad for a different reason, because it shows how little respect they have for our country, when they would hack into a major party and get everything.

But it would be interesting to see—I will tell you this—Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press. Let’s see if that happens.

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OFF-MIC QUESTION

TRUMP: No, I had nothing to do with Russia. John, John, how many times do I have to say it, are you a smart man? I have nothing to do with Russia. I have nothing to do with Russia, and even for anything. What do I have to do with Russia? You know the closest I came to Russia, I bought a house a number of years ago in Palm Beach Florida. Palm Beach is a very expensive place—it was man who went bankrupt—and I bought the house for 40 million dollars, and I sold it to a Russian for 100 million dollars, including brokerage commissions. So I sold it, so I bought it for 40, I sold it for 100 to a Russian. That was a number of years ago. I guess probably I sell condos to Russians, okay?

OFF-MIC QUESTION

TRUMP: Of course I can! I told you. Other than normal stuff, I buy a house if I sell it to a Russian. I have nothing to do with Russia. I said that Putin has much better leadership qualities than Obama, but who doesn’t know that?

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OFF-MIC QUESTION

TRUMP: I have no idea. It’s probably not Russia. Nobody knows if it’s Russia. You know the sad thing is, that with the technology and the genius we have in this country—not in government unfortunately—but with the genius we have in government, we don’t even know who took the Democratic National Committee emails, right? We don’t even know who it is. I heard this morning one report said they don’t think its Russia. They think it might be China. Another report said it might be just be a hacker, some guy with a 200 IQ that can’t get up in the morning. Okay, nobody knows. Honestly, they have no idea if it’s Russia. Might be Russia. But if it’s any foreign country, it shows how little respect they have for the United States.

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OFF-MIC QUESTION

TRUMP: That’s up to the president. Let the president talk to them. Look, here’s the problem. Here’s the problem Katie, Katie, here’s the problem, very simple. He has no respect.

OFF-MIC QUESTION

TRUMP: Well they probably have them. I’d like to have them released.

OFF-MIC QUESTION

Nope, gives me no pause—if they have them, they have them, we might as well find out. Hey, you know what gives me more pause, that a person in our government, crooked Hillary Clinton, here’s what gives me more—be quiet, I know you want to, you know, save her—that a person in our government, Katie, would delete or get rid of 33,000 emails. That gives me a big problem. After she gets a subpoena, she gets subpoenaed, and she gets rid of 33,000 emails, that gives me a problem. Now, if Russia or China or any other country has those emails, I need to be honest with you, I’d love to see them.