Trump, Putin, and covert Covid test swap detailed in new book
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Donald Trump, when he was president in 2020, sent COVID-19 testing devices to Vladimir Putin. This information is mentioned in Bob Woodward's new book.
According to Bloomberg, Peskov confirmed some information from the yet-to-be-published book in a written response to the agency's questions. Peskov stated that Putin did indeed receive American COVID-19 testing devices from Trump from Abbott, adding, however, that Russia "also sent equipment at the beginning of the pandemic."
"But about the phone calls — it’s not true," said Peskov.
According to excerpts from Woodward's book "Rage," as described by CNN, the journalist known for uncovering the Watergate scandal alleges Trump sent the then-difficult-to-obtain machines to Putin for his personal use. The Russian president reportedly asked Trump to keep the gift a secret, because "people will get mad at you, not me."
Contacts after the end of Trump's term
According to the journalist, the two politicians remained in contact after Trump's term ended and—as a former president's adviser stated—they talked "up to seven times." The book describes a scene in which the former president asks advisers to leave the room because he wants to have a "private conversation" with Putin. When questioned about this, Trump's adviser Jason Miller stated he was not aware of such conversations, and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines did not provide a clear answer, saying she "would not purport to be aware of all contacts with Putin" and she "wouldn’t purport to speak to what President Trump may or may not have done."
Trump's team stated that "none of these made-up stories by Bob Woodward are true and are the work of a truly demented and deranged man who suffers from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome."
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris also addressed the revelations on Tuesday during an appearance on comedian Stephen Colbert's evening show.
"I ask everyone here and everyone who is watching: Do you remember what those days were like? You remember how many people did not have tests and were trying to scramble to get them?" Harris asked. "And this man is giving COVID test kits to Vladimir Putin? Think about what this means on top of him sending love letters to Kim Jong Un … He thinks that’s his friend. What about the American people? They should be your first friend," she added.
