In a news conference, Donald Trump declared for the first time Wednesday that he accepts Russia was behind the election hacking of Democrats. He also urged Congress to move quickly to replace Barack Obama's health care law and insisted that Mexico will pay the cost of a border wall.
The spectacle in the lobby of Trump's Manhattan skyscraper was his first news conference since winning the Presidential election in early November, and the famous politician demonstrated he had not been changed by the weight of success.
Trump reported that Russia had collected important personal and financial information about him, whipping the media for peddling "fake news" and shouting down a journalist, which reported on the matter.
Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, said he had spoken with Trump
Trump's victory has been shadowed by intelligence assessments that Russia helped him defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton. Finally, Trump accepted at least part of the intelligence conclusions.
Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, stated in a statement that he had spoken with Trump and told him that he does not believe any leaks came from the intelligence community.
Trump has not stated if he believes Clapper's claim about the source of the leaks. Trump tweeted the following message: "James Clapper called me yesterday to denounce the false and fictitious report that was illegally circulated. Made up, phony facts. Too bad!"
Trump also made comments on health care and Mexico
He declared that a replacement for Obama's health care overhaul would be offered simultaneously with a congressional vote to repeal the measure. Trump also vowed that Mexico would "reimburse" the cost of the border wall through an unspecified tax or payment. He declared that while his government would begin negotiating with Mexico after his inauguration, he did not want to delay the project until an agreement was reached.
