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Article snippet: MORE on Tuesday sought to deflect criticism of his handling of Russia by blaming former President Obama’s administration for not doing more to stop Moscow’s meddling in the 2016 election. “I have been much tougher on Russia than Obama, just look at the facts. Total Fake News!” Trump tweeted. Over the holiday weekend, Trump made clear his frustration with the indictment, unleashing a series of tweets claiming the charges prove his campaign did not collude with the Kremlin. The president also lashed out at Obama for not doing more to counter Moscow’s efforts, which he has previously called a “hoax” concocted to undermine his 2016 victory. According to the indictment, the Russian effort to interfere in U.S. politics first began in 2014. Trump’s response alarmed officials in both parties, who said he should focus his ire on Russian President Vladimir Putin and throw his support behind efforts to ensure the Russians do not succeed in interfering with the fall midterm elections. During her first press briefing in a week, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders insisted that the president has fully accepted that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. “One of the places where you guys seem to get very confused — and it seems to happen regularly — the president hasn’t said that Russia didn’t meddle,” she told reporters. Sanders was peppered with questions during the course of her 20-minute briefing about what the administration is doing to prevent future Russ... Link to the full article to read more