U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) released the following statement on President Trump’s remarks while at a press conference with Russian leader Vladimir Putin:

“The president’s press conference on his meeting with Vladimir Putin was nothing short of disgraceful. There is no question that Russia attacked our democracy in 2016 by interfering in the election, as our American intelligence community long ago concluded. When asked today to choose between our own country’s intelligence community and Vladimir Putin—the leader of a hostile foreign power—President Trump refused to choose, and instead blamed our own country. This is a shocking development when I thought I couldn’t be shocked any more.”