Defense Secretary James Mattis reportedly said Friday that he believed that Russia meddled in last year's presidential election — flying in the face of President Donald Trump's position that such accusations smacked of "fake news."
"Yes, I believe they did," Mattis said when asked about Moscow, according to a tweet posted by ABC News Pentagon correspondent Elizabeth McLaughlin.
Mattis also beat back a report in The Washington Post that President Trump is resistant to briefings on Russia by members of his National Security Council.
"Trump has never convened a Cabinet-level meeting on Russian interference or what to do about it, administration officials said," the Post reports.
"One former high-ranking Trump administration official said there is an unspoken understanding within the NSC that to raise the matter is to acknowledge its validity, which the president would see as an affront."
In response to a question about the Post's report, Mattis said: "I have no reservation nor has the president ever evidenced any pushback when I bring up Russia in a national security context.
"I have not seen this shyness, including over at the White House."
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