U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump encouraged Russia Wednesday to hack into the email server of his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, to find "the 30,000 emails that are missing" from her time as secretary of state.
“It would be interesting to see. I will tell you this, Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing," Trump told reporters. "I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press."
He said Moscow "probably" already has the emails Clinton considered to be private and deleted from the private email server she used while she was the top U.S. diplomat from 2009 to 2013, during President Barack Obama's first term.
“They probably have them," Trump said. "I'd like to have them released. It gives me no pause, if they have them, they have them. If Russia or China or any other country has those emails, I mean to be honest with you, I'd love to see them.”
The Clinton campaign called Trump's statement the "first time that a major presidential candidate has actively encouraged a foreign power to conduct espionage against a political opponent."
A U.S. intelligence official familiar with the matter told VOA that Trump's comments would have no bearing on upcoming intelligence briefings Trump will receive as the Republican presidential candidate.