--- title: President Trump Gave a Nod to a Conspiracy Theory in Helsinki description: President Donald Trump gave a not-so subtle nod to an online conspiracy theory about the 2016 hacking of the Democratic National Committee during a joint... canonical: https://time.com/5340387/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-russia-conspiracy-theory/ author: Abigail Simon article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-07-16T22:46:40.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T09:34:36.706Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Trump Gave a Nod to a 2016 Conspiracy Theory in Helsinki og:description: He obliquely referenced an online theory that the Democrats weren't hacked. og:url: https://time.com/5340387/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-russia-conspiracy-theory/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1751ab03957a682d/6989356ffb4eac92a78971ed/trump-putin-helsinki-press-conference.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4560 og:image:height: 2565 og:image:alt: Trump and Putin Helsinki Press Conference og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Trump Gave a Nod to a 2016 Conspiracy Theory in Helsinki twitter:description: He obliquely referenced an online theory that the Democrats weren't hacked. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1751ab03957a682d/6989356ffb4eac92a78971ed/trump-putin-helsinki-press-conference.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump Gave a Nod to a Conspiracy Theory About the Democratic Email Hack in Helsinki > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=2b94fcff-8396-45ca-81b7-94e77f134e62&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Breaking Down the Helsinki Summit [Watch (HLS stream): Breaking Down the Helsinki Summit](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/cpcg9AFD.m3u8) (4:16)  _Published 2018-07-18. The controversial comments, the bipartisan backlash, and global response._ by [Abigail Simon](https://time.com/author/abigail-simon/) ## Abigail Simon Jul 16, 2018 10:46 PM UTC by [Abigail Simon](https://time.com/author/abigail-simon/) ## Abigail Simon Jul 16, 2018 10:46 PM UTC President Donald Trump gave a not-so subtle nod to an online conspiracy theory about the 2016 hacking of the Democratic National Committee during a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin Monday. During a 46-minute press conference in Helsinki, Trump [declined to support](http://time.com/5339830/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-summit-helsinki-meddling/) the [broad consensus within the U.S. intelligence community, Congress and the Justice Department](http://time.com/5340060/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-summit-russia-meddling/) that Russia is responsible for the hacking. Toward the end of the press conference, he went further, making a vague reference to the DNC’s email server. “You have groups that are wondering why the FBI never took the server — haven’t they taken the server,” he said. “Why was the FBI told to leave the office of the Democratic National Committee?” As Trump noted, he has made reference to the server before in tweets — at least a dozen times since January of 2017, when he first began raising questions about it. > [](https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/838351476401520640) Here’s how the server ties into the conspiracy theory. ## What actually happened to the Democratic National Committee server? During the FBI’s investigation of the hacking of the DNC, it did not take possession of the DNC’s internal servers. Former FBI Director James Comey told Congress that the DNC [declined](http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/313555-comey-fbi-did-request-access-to-hacked-dnc-servers) to provide such access. He said that the bureau made “multiple requests at different levels,” but ultimately struck an agreement that a “highly respected private company” would get access to the materials and share its findings with investigators. However, the DNC denied that the FBI ever asked. The DNC’s deputy communications director, Eric Walker, wrote to [BuzzFeed](https://www.buzzfeed.com/alimwatkins/the-fbi-never-asked-for-access-to-hacked-computer-servers?utm%5Fterm=.koRybqgM5X#.hyLQ05m47L) in an email that “the FBI never requested access to the DNC’s computer servers.” Robert Johnston — an employee of Crowdstrike, the private firm that examined the DNC’s servers — [told BuzzFeed](https://www.buzzfeed.com/jasonleopold/he-solved-the-dnc-hack-now-hes-telling-his-story-for-the?utm%5Fterm=.sreOvdEp24#.rgmQMZ50LE) that the DNC was hoping to handle investigations less publicly amid a presidential campaign and an FBI investigation into Clinton’s emails. ## What is the conspiracy theory about the DNC server? Some doubters of Russian involvement in the hacking have argued that the fact that the FBI did not take possession of the DNC servers during its investigation means it can’t be proven that Russia was involved. Instead, conspiracists have argued that the DNC was not hacked at all, and that the emails published on WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign were from disgruntled staffers who leaked them. The theories differ on exactly who this person is supposed to be. ## How does this tie into other conspiracy theories about the hacking? Conspiracy theorists have seized on two people they claim could have been involved in a supposed inside job to leak the emails: Seth Rich and Imran Awan. Rich was a 27-year-old DNC staffer who was shot and killed in the summer of 2016 in what police [believe was a botched robbery](https://wtop.com/dc/2018/03/fox-news-sued-parents-murdered-dnc-staffer-seth-rich/). After his death, he became the focus of theories prominently featured — and in one case, [retracted](https://wtop.com/dc/2018/03/fox-news-sued-parents-murdered-dnc-staffer-seth-rich/) — on Fox News that he leaked the emails. Rich’s family has spoken out about the conspiracy theories, noting that he could not have been the leaker. “He didn’t have access to DNC emails, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee emails, John Podesta’s emails or Hillary Clinton’s emails,” they wrote in [an op-ed in the Washington _Post_](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/were-seth-richs-parents-stop-politicizing-our-sons-murder/2017/05/23/164cf4dc-3fee-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.e0d2d45be40d). “That simply wasn’t his job.” In March, they [filed a lawsuit](https://wtop.com/dc/2018/03/fox-news-sued-parents-murdered-dnc-staffer-seth-rich/) accusing Fox News and two contributors of intentionally exploiting the tragedy “through lies, misrepresentations, and half-truths.” Another conspiracy theory that has been floated by Fox News personalities Geraldo Rivera and Sean Hannity involves Awan, a former Democratic staffer who was investigated for violating House security rules. The Inspector General’s Office of the House had found that Awan, along with four other IT staffers, accessed congressional computers without authorization. The [Washington _Post_ reported](https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/federal-probe-into-house-technology-worker-imran-awan-yields-intrigue-no-evidence-of-espionage/2017/09/16/100b4170-93f2-11e7-b9bc-b2f7903bab0d%5Fstory.html) that, according to investigators, these activities were innocuous — like “storing personal information such as children’s homework and family photos.” Trump has referenced Awan on Twitter before, calling him a [“Pakistani mystery man”](https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/987470932989050881) and arguing that he is key to “much of the corruption we see today.” > [](https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1004726490058182656) During the press conference with Putin, he again referenced Awan. “What happened to the servers of the Pakistani gentleman that worked on the DNC? Where are those servers? ” he said. ## Has Trump endorsed these conspiracy theories before? Trump, who has repeatedly endorsed conspiracy theories ranging from the [death of Vince Foster](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/despite-trumps-fishy-comments-vince-foster-case-closed-n579691) to [Hillary Clinton’s health](https://www.cnn.com/2016/10/11/politics/donald-trump-ad-hillary-clinton-health/index.html) to [Barack Obama’s birth certificate](https://www.cnn.com/2016/09/09/politics/donald-trump-birther/index.html), has offered at least [197 different arguments](http://time.com/5290531/donald-trump-robert-mueller-russia-investigation-arguments/) about Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, including several which touch on fringe conspiracy theories. In fact, the very first argument the Trump campaign made about the Democratic email hacking was that it was not real. “We believe it was the DNC that did the ‘hacking’ as a way to distract from the many issues facing their deeply flawed candidate and failed party leader,” the Trump campaign said in [a statement](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/06/01/every-russia-story-trump-said-was-a-hoax-by-democrats-a-timeline/?utm%5Fterm=.cd7c24eb9894) on June 15, 2016. During the second presidential debate, he later said [“maybe there is no hacking,”](https://transcripts.factcheck.org/presidential-debate-washington-university/) and a White House statement released last week referred to the [“alleged hacking.”](https://twitter.com/seungminkim/status/1017819299602489344) ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] Set against the backdrop of Helsinki, Finland, this week's meeting between Trump and Putin was the seventh official summit between leaders of the United States. And Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The two leaders have met before an international gatherings like the 2017 at G20 Summit and have spoken at least eight times over the phone. What began with a handshake and an apparent. Front of the eyes of the world continued with an unprecedented, off the record meeting with just Putin, Trump and their translators for two hours. After later bringing in their top aides for joint talks, the two leaders re- emerged side by side at a news conference that rattled many across party lines in the US. [ MUSIC ] Do you hold Russia at all accountable for anything in particular? Yes, I do. I hold both countries responsible. I think that The United States has been foolish. I think we've all been foolish. Trump's remarks were in sharp opposition to The Justice Department's decision to charge 12 Russian intelligence officers for their interference in US elections this past Friday. The indictment charges 12 Russian military officers by name for conspiring to interfere with the 2016 presidential election. And just hours after the Trump / Putin press conference, American prosecutors charged a Russian woman for trying to influence U. S. lawmakers. My people came to me, Dan Coats came to me, and Some other's said they think it Russia. I have President Putin, he just said it's not Russia. I will say this, I don't see any reason why it would be. I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that president Putin was extremely strong and powerful [ MUSIC ] In his denial today. But Trump backtracked on his original remarks clarifying at a recent press conference this. I accept our intellgence community's conclusion that Russia's meddling in the 2016 Election took place. Could be other people also. There's a lot of people out there. I said the word would instead of wouldn't. And the sentence should have been, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be Russia. Sort of a double- negative. Still, Trump's original comments on his own country's intelligence and alignment with Russia was met with swift, furious reactions from many. Former CIA Director John Brennan called Trump's performance treasonous. Dan Coats, the Director of National Intelligence nominated by Trump We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling. Former 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain said it was one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory. The damage inflicted by President Trump's naivet ��, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate. But it is clear that the summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake. Tragic mistake. Commentators on Fox News, often supporting of the President, had a critical response to Trump's behavior too. This was the time and the place for the President to look Putin squarely in the eye and say, you will be punished for what you did in 2016, and don't ever think about doing that again. But he didn't, and that's what made it disgusting. A US President on foreign soil, talking to our biggest enemy. Adversary or competitor, I don't know how we define them these days, is essentially letting the guy get away with this. And not even offering a mild criticism. That sets us back a lot. Trump was interviewed by Fox's Sean Hannity after his meeting with Putin and shared successes he believed to be overshadowed. I think it's a shame. We're talking about nuclear proliferation. We're talking about Syria and humanitarian aid. We're talking about all of these different things and we get questions on the witch hunt. And while there were no tangible results from the summit, the two leaders are framing this As the first of many meetings to come. But after a contentious week abroad, where Trump was also a polarizing force with NATO allies in Brussels, his apparent alignment with Putin and Russia has left the US political world unsettled. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5340387/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-russia-conspiracy-theory/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5340387/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-russia-conspiracy-theory/"},"headline":"President Trump Gave a Nod to a Conspiracy Theory About the Democratic Email Hack in Helsinki","datePublished":"2018-07-16T22:46:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-12T09:34:36.706Z","description":"President Donald Trump gave a not-so subtle nod to an online conspiracy theory about the 2016 hacking of the Democratic National Committee during a joint...","url":"https://time.com/5340387/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-russia-conspiracy-theory/","keywords":["Donald Trump","democrats","russia","2016 Election","Helsinki"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1751ab03957a682d/6989356ffb4eac92a78971ed/trump-putin-helsinki-press-conference.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Abigail Simon","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/abigail-simon/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1751ab03957a682d/6989356ffb4eac92a78971ed/trump-putin-helsinki-press-conference.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Trump and Putin Helsinki Press Conference","caption":"Presidents Trump and Putin stand in front of their nations' flags during a press conference","creditText":"YURI KADOBNOV—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5340387/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-russia-conspiracy-theory/","name":"President Trump Gave a Nod to a Conspiracy Theory About the Democratic Email Hack in Helsinki"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Breaking Down the Helsinki Summit","description":"The controversial comments, the bipartisan backlash, and global response.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/cpcg9AFD/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-07-18T21:00:25.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/cpcg9AFD.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5340387/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-russia-conspiracy-theory/","duration":"PT4M16S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5340387/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-russia-conspiracy-theory/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```