Dem senator tells CNN Trump may be 'signaling' to Putin with his 'bizarre behavior' about Russian interference

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) on Tuesday suggested that President Donald Trump was sending "signals" to Russian President Vladimir Putin by continuing to equivocate over whether Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election.

Commenting on a recent interview in which the president once again suggested there was a debate over whether Russia interfered in the election, Whitehouse said Trump's comments were completely at odds with the actions of his own administration, which has added sanctions against the country over its interference.

"I don't know if he's sending a flare into the sky to show Putin and the Russians that he's still trying to lean their way wherever he can to provide them a little bit of signaling, but it's hard to tell," he said. "The only thing that makes sense is signaling and letting Putin and his crew know he's still trying to be helpful."

Whitehouse went on to give Trump's national security team credit for continuing to call out Russia for trying to interfere in American democracy, despite the strange statements that the president regularly makes.

"I think the institutions of government are responding quite well to the Russian threat, not withstanding all this bizarre signaling and bizarre behavior from the president," he said.

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