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Trump backtracks on ‘dumb’ cyber security plan with Russia

Published on: 11 Jul 2017

Donald Trump seems to have distanced himself from the idea of working with Russia to create a cyber security unit following widespread criticism, most notably from Republican senators.

The US president tweeted that he and Vladimir Putin had discussed “forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded and safe,” following their talks at the G20 summit in Hamburg.

Many an eyebrow has been raised due to ongoing allegations that Putin and Russia interfered with the 2016 presidential election.

Republican senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told NBC that the concept of partnering with Russia on cyber security was “not the dumbest idea I have ever heard, but it’s pretty close”, while John McCain of Arizona added: “Vladimir Putin got away with literally trying to change the outcome of our election.”

Florida Republican senator Marco Rubio likened teaming up with Putin on “a cyber security unit” to “partnering with Assad on a ‘Chemical Weapons Unit’”.

US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley tried to justify the idea by stressing that working with Russia on cyber security “doesn’t mean we ever trust Russia”.

She told the Guardian: “We can’t trust Russia and we won’t ever trust Russia. But you keep those that you don’t trust closer, so that you can always keep an eye on ‘em and keep them in check.

“Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections.”