Joe Biden calls Donald Trump ‘an idiot’ for denying Russia interfered in 2016 elections

Former Vice President Joe Biden called President Donald Trump an ‘idiot’ for repeatedly denying Russia interfered in the 2016 elections.

Biden appeared on CBS’ ’60 Minutes,’ and got asked about the president’s repeated attacks on what he calls the Russia ‘hoax.’  

‘He’s an idiot– in terms of saying that,’ Biden responded. ‘Everybody knows this. Everybody knows it. Nobody doubts it.’

A report released this month by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee found this month that a St. Petersburg troll farm supported ‘Donald Trump at the direction of the Kremlin.’ Federal prosecutors charged Russians with orchestrating a hacking campaign during the 2016 elections and exploiting social media to try to sow discord. 

Biden has been put on the defensive about his son Hunter’s acceptance of a position on the board of a Ukrainian energy company while he was vice president. The president and his allies have not only accused Hunter Biden with an ethical breach, but pushed a theory that it was Ukraine who interfered in the elections, even speculating without evidence that Hillary Clinton’s emails are in Ukraine.

‘I’m very concerned about foreign interference, beyond me,’ Biden told interviewer Norah O’Donnell. ‘Everybody knows what’s going on. Trump not only doesn’t want to do anything about it he’s going out and asking for help. Come help me. Come help me defeat – keep Biden from being the nominee,’ Biden said. 

The broadcast noted that Facebook removed bot accounts traced to Russia that had attacked Biden. The Trump campaign has been paying for its own attacks on Biden over Ukraine. The Biden campaign asked the company to take them down, but it refused.

‘Facebook is running right now paid advertising by Trump that everybody knows is a flat lie. You know, I’m glad they brought the Russians down. Why don’t you bring down the lies that Trump is telling and everybody knows are lies?’ Biden said. 

President Trump regularly blasts what he terms the ‘Russia hoax’

Biden referenced Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, and said his own children would not work in his White House

Biden questioned Trump son in law Jared Kushner’s credentials to negotiate Mideast peace

U.S. intelligence and the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee have assessed that Russian president Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin were behind the election interference

Biden gave the interview alongside his wife, Jill

 He also fended off Trump’s attacks on him as ‘corrupt,’ saying: ‘Yeah. Mr. President, release your tax returns. Let’s see how straight you are, okay old buddy? I put out 21 years of mine. So show us your tax returns … You want to deal with corruption? Start to act like it. Release your tax returns or shut up.’

 Biden also took shots at Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who both hold high level unpaid jobs at the White House.

‘I wasn’t raised to go after the children. Their actions speak for themselves. I can just tell you this, that if I’m president get elected president my children are not going to have offices in the White House,’ Biden said My children are not going to sit in on Cabinet meetings. 

It’s just simply improper because you should make it clear to the American public that everything you’re doing is for them. For them. And the idea that you’re going to have his children his– son-in-law, et cetera, engaged in the day-to-day operation of things they know nothing about.

NORAH O’DONNELL: You don’t think that Jared Kushner should be negotiating a Middle East peace solution?

JOE BIDEN: No, I don’t. (LAUGH) I don’t. What– what credentials does he bring to that?