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Community Comes Together for Iftar Dinner After Mosque Fire

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People of all faiths turned out Wednesday night to once again show their support for members of a New Haven mosque that was set on fire two weeks ago.

The celebration was called an “evening of unity.” Leaders of the Diyanet Mosque said they’ve seen an outpouring of support that was on display again Wednesday for an Iftar dinner.

“We're going to stand against hate and we're going to stand for good will,” said Omer Bajwa, director of Muslim Life at Yale University.

In the St. Thomas More Catholic Chapel and Center at Yale, Muslims, Jews, other Christians and others broke the daily fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. It was all to support members of the mosque.

“This is a community which is resilient, this is a community that is united. This is a community where solidarity and caring for our neighbors means something,” said Abdul-Rehman Malika of Yale University.

Leaders said they want everyone to take away something special from the prayers and breaking of bread.

“We come together in moments of prayer, of celebration, but also in times of sadness of crisis,” said Father Ryan Lerner, chaplain at St. Thomas More.

The coming together of so many and outpouring of support nearly brought the mosque’s leader to tears.

“We're not gonna fear. We're not gonna be out of that property. We're gonna be there for forever,” Haydar Elevi said.

The suspects who set the fire remain unknown, but what wasn’t unclear tonight is the commitment to come back stronger.

“When we look through the names of individuals who are donating, we can see that they really represent the cross section of New Haven's faith communities. New Haven civil society. New Haven community action and that response has been really remarkable,” Malika said.

The mosque has raised just shy of $200,000 to rebuild since the fire, and leaders reiterated Wednesday that they’re committed to being able to hold future Iftar dinners in that space again.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

State Senate Debates PTSD Coverage for Police, Firefighters

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The state Senate is taking up a bill that would give police officers and firefighters diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, workers' compensation coverage.

The Senate discussed the bill for several hours Wednesday, with Republicans and Democrats showing support.

“There's not enough awareness out there. We need some changes to help our first responders who give so much each and every day,” said Trish Buchanan.

For Buchanan, bringing attention to PTSD is personal. Her late husband Paul was an East Hartford police officer for nearly 24 years. She said he struggled with PTSD, depression and anxiety, and in 2013 he died by suicide.

“Paul, in one of his final notes, wrote 'make my death an issue, and help others that are like me,’” Buchanan explained.

Working in her husband’s memory, she pushed for a bill that would give workers’ compensation coverage to police officers, firefighters and parole officers diagnosed with PTSD. It would provide compensation for up to a year and is expected to cover around 36,000 state and local employees.

NBC Connecticut Investigates has reported extensively on this issue the past two years, previously addressing on a survey of almost 8,000 officers on PTSD by the Fraternal Order of Police and NBC owned stations, which took a deeper look at the issues officers reported experiencing after stressful calls.

A similar survey addressed the issue among firefighters.

“I think we should recognize that post-traumatic stress is an actual condition that can be treated and if treated can return someone to work, and that's what ultimately workers comp is all about,” said Sen. Catherine Osten (D-19th District).

Osten worked for the Department of Correction for more than two decades, and said this bill is personal for her too.

“I've had some 20 of my colleagues, almost two dozen of my colleagues commit suicide as a result of the trauma of the job,” she said.

Osten said she’d eventually like to see all workers covered, with supporters hoping it’ll save lives.

The bill has been criticized for not including EMS workers. An amendment was presented wanting to see EMS covered as well. They were not included in the bill because lawmakers said that involving private entities, not just public, so the bill was tabled Wednesday night.

It’s unknown if they’ll pick it back up.


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Families Hope 74 Sailors Will Finally Be Added to Vietnam Memorial

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Monday will mark the 50th anniversary of one of the deadliest days in the Vietnam War, when 74 sailors were killed when their ship went down in the South China Sea.

But none of those who gave their lives on that ship have their names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall.

Now, there's a renewed effort to include them at the memorial.

The USS Frank E Evans was providing artillery support off the coast of Vietnam in the spring of 1969. In the early morning hours of June 3, the Evans was participating in training exercises outside the combat zone when an Australian aircraft carrier unintentionally collided with the U.S. vessel, slicing it in half.

Ensign Alan Armstrong, along with his 73 crew mates, were lost to the depths of the South China Sea. Their bodies were never recovered.

Armstrong's sister, Ann Armstrong-Dailey, recalls the last time she spoke with her brother as he was deploying to the combat zone.

"He called me from there, and we told each other we loved each other, and I'm really glad that we had that chance," she said.

Years after his death, when the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall was being designed, the families of the lost 74 looked forward to being able to honor their loved ones.

"We just thought, oh, how wonderful. At last we can finally put him to rest," Armstrong-Dailey said.

Then the Department of Defense told them the names of the 74 sailors killed that day would not be included on the wall because the Evans went down outside the combat zone.

"To be honest, it was like losing him all over again," Armstrong-Dailey said.

The Department of Defense has reviewed several requests to add the names of the fallen sailors to the wall, including personal reviews by then defense secretaries Robert Gates and Leon Panetta, all of which concluded that the fallen crew of the Evans did not meet the established criteria.

Every day from her balcony in D.C., Armstrong-Dailey looks at the monuments to our country's heroes and thinks about her brother and his crew mates.

"These boys answered the call of their nation," she said. "They gave the ultimate sacrifice for their nation and they deserve to be honored."

Legislation is pending in the Senate that would pave the way for the lost 74 to have their names added to the wall. However, congressional efforts have failed in the past.

"I visit it with hope and trust that sometime soon we will have his name along with his shipmates on the wall," Armstrong-Dailey said. "That we can touch and we can visit and we can celebrate."



Photo Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images, FIle

Man Dies After Lighting Himself on Fire Near White House

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A man who set himself ablaze Wednesday on the ground of the White House Ellipse has died, U.S. Park Police say.

Arnav Gupta, of Bethesda, Maryland, died later that night at the hospital.

It appears that Gupta was reported missing to Montgomery County, Maryland, police on Wednesday morning. Family members last saw him about 9:20 a.m., when he left his home, police say. Police were concerned for his physical and emotional welfare of the 33-year-old man.

Police say Gupta lit himself on fire about 12:20 p.m. Secret Service, National Park Service and U.S. Park Police personnel responded to the scene.

"Like a torch, his whole body was on fire," a witness said. "He was just walking like he was a zombie or something. Just straight, he wasn't running and screaming or anything. He was walking straight. Then they put the extinguisher on him and put his [fire] out and that's it."

Passersby expressed alarm on social media after seeing a large plume of smoke billowing from a grassy area at 15th and Constitution Avenue Northwest, near a security checkpoint.

Gupta was taken to a local hospital for treatment, U.S. Park Police said. He died later in the evening.

Alina Berzins, 17, said she and her family were sightseeing when they saw the man running and covered in flames.

"We were just looking at the White House to take pictures and he just came out of nowhere," she said.

The White House and surrounding grounds often see security-related disturbances. In April, a man sitting in an electric scooter lit his jacket on fire in front of the White House.

Rima Abdelkader and Derrick Ward contributed to this report.

If you or someone you know is in a crisis, including at risk of suicide or self-harm, help is available. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Trained counselors are available 24/7.



Photo Credit: WRC-TV

Blues Steal Game 2 in Overtime, Even Stanley Cup at 1-1

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Sixty minutes wasn’t enough to define Game 2 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.

After outshooting the Bruins, 33-23 in regulation, the Blues made sure their extra chances went for naught in overtime, skating away from Boston with a 3-2 win and evening up the Final at a game apiece.

Carl Gunnarsson scored 3:51 into overtime just as the Blues were about to go on the power play.

Charlie Coyle and Joakim Nordstrom scored the lone goals for Boston, both in the first period.

Coyle scored on the power play 4:44 into the first, left all alone in the slot on a feed from Jake DeBrusk.

Caught in their defensive zone for nearly 45 seconds, the Bruins rued their missed chances to clear after Robert Bortuzzo found a lane off the right-wing half wall to tie the game at 9:37 of the first. Rask was well-screened on the play and had virtually no chance to slide back to defend the near post.

These are the Bruins, of course, and a response came quick -- just 40 seconds later. Sean Kuraly ignited Boston’s forecheck as St. Louis failed to clear its own zone as well, dialing up Joakim Noah uncovered, who beat Jordan Binnington five-hole for his third goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Blues tied the game at 2-apiece after Zdeno Chara got caught one-on-one with Jayden Schwartz, who beat Chara to give himself a solid shooting lane, where he was robbed by Rask, but Vladimir Tarasenko came crashing down from behind to bury the loose puck and pull St. Louis even at 14:55 of the first.

St. Louis outshot Boston, 10-8, in the first period.

Neither team scored in the second, during which time the Blues outshout the Bruins, 14-4, although Boston came out of it with just a touch of momentum. Connor Clifton received a double-minor penalty for high sticking at 15:39, giving St. Louis what should have been 4 minutes of power play time.

While the Blues had plenty of zone time, they watched Nordstrom do his best Gregory Campbell impression circa 2013, continuing to skate around the defensive zone while clearly injured. To add to his growing legend, Nordstrom proceeded to block a shot off the stick of the sniper Tarasenko.

Ultimately, the power play was nullified when Schwartz went crashing into Rask for the second goalie interference call of the game against the Blues.

Clifton nearly sprung a chance for the Bruins once out of the box, but nothing came of it for Boston on the man advantage, leaving the game tied at 2-2 just as it was in Game 1 through 40 minutes.

The Bruins squandered a power play chance which began with 6:18 left in the third period, only able to get one low-leverage shot on Binnington. Carl Gunnarsson hit a post with just over 2 minutes left in regulation, while both David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand were denied by Binnington in the final minute of regulation.

Boston defenseman Matt Grzelcyk was injured on a hit from Oskar Sundqvist in the first period and did not return. Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said after the game that Grzelcyk went to the hospital but offered no further update.

Game 3 of the series is on Saturday night at 8 p.m. in St. Louis.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Water Main Break on State Street in North Haven to Affect Several Houses

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Several houses on State Street in North Haven will not have water for part of the day Thursday after a water main break. 

The water main break was reported around 1 am. in the area of 55 State St., according to police. 

Crews at the scene said the water company was holding off on making repairs so area residents could get ready for work. 

Residents between 36 State St. and 111 State St. will be affected. 

Once repairs start, a good part of the street will not have water and one lane of the road will be closed. 



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

16 Women Sue, Alleging Discrimination at FBI Training Academy

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Sixteen women who trained to become FBI agents and analysts have come forward in a proposed class action lawsuit filed Wednesday accusing the bureau of gender discrimination in how it trains and graduates new agents, NBC News reported.

The women, seven of whom still work at the FBI, detail incidents where they say they were punished for behavior their male counterparts got away with. They also describe what they say is a male-biased review process, and even overt sexual harassment.

Ten of the former trainees agreed to be interviewed by NBC News. Five of them asked not to be identified by their full names.

The former trainees said their experiences at the FBI's training academy in Quantico, Va., left them feeling powerless and angry. "They made me feel like I was worthless and disposable," said one plaintiff, who asked to be identified only as "Ava."

The FBI did not respond to questions from NBC News about the specific allegations because it does not comment on pending litigation as a matter of policy. The bureau said in a statement that "the FBI is committed to fostering a work environment where all of our employees are valued and respected."



Photo Credit: NBC News

Parents Chained, Abused, Starved 12-Year-Old Boy: Deputies

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A 12-year-old boy was allegedly chained up, abused and starved by his parents, who are circus promoters, before he died last week in Indiana, NBC News reported.

The parents, 33-year-old Luis Posso and 26-year-old Dayan Median Flores, were charged with felony neglect Friday, a day after the boy, Eduardo, died in a hospital in Bloomington, according to a statement from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

Monroe County Sheriff Brad Swain said Eduardo likely suffered a slow and painful death: "There's really no words for this type of abuse."

Eduardo was Posso's son and Flores' stepson — jail records show they are being held at Monroe County Jail. Three other children, all completely healthy, were taken from their care and placed with child protective services, deputies said.



Photo Credit: Monroe County Sheriff's Office

Take Our Quiz: Could You Win the National Spelling Bee?

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Think you could hold your own among the 562 spellers at this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee?

Below is a list of the final five words that knocked out spellers last year before 14-year-old Karthik Nemmani, of McKinney, Texas, was crowned champion. Hear the word, how it’s used in a sentence and see its origin and definition.

Good luck playing along as the 2019 spelling bee finals conclude in National Harbor, Maryland, outside Washington, D.C., on Thursday.

Haven’t been totally demolished? Here are a handful more knockout words that have booted spelling competitors over the last decade, as provided by the Scripps National Spelling Bee’s office.



Photo Credit: The Washington Post/Getty Images
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Man Dies After Shooting in New Haven

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A 28-year-old New Haven man who was shot Thursday morning has died.

Officers responded to Osborn Avenue and Blake Street in the Beaver Hills neighborhood of New Haven at 9:13 a.m. after a ShotSpotter alerted them of gunfire. 

Then 911 calls came in reporting a gunshot victim by Osborn Avenue and Glenn Road and officers found the 28-year-old victim lying on the street near his car.

Investigators believe that the man drove two blocks after the shooting. He has been identified as Jordan Agnew of New Haven.

The vehicle had been struck by the gunfire and there was a child in the car seat who was not hurt, according to police.

Yale Child Study Center clinicians also responded to the scene.

Anyone with information is asked to call the News Haven Police Department Detective Bureau at 203-946-6304.

Ridgefield High School Dismissed Early Due to Threat

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Ridgefield High School students were dismissed early on Thursday because of a written threat.

A message on the school’s website said administration and police responded immediately and students were dismissed at 9:30 a.m. out of an abundance or caution.

The dismissal and the threat do not affect Scott’s Ridge Middle School.

The investigation is ongoing, according to the school’s website.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

CBP Apprehends More Than 1,000 Migrants in Record Roundup

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Border Patrol agents apprehended 1,036 migrants who had crossed into the United States illegally near El Paso, Texas, early Wednesday, according to two U.S. officials and a document obtained by NBC News.

It's the largest group of migrants ever encountered by the agency, surpassing the prior record, set last month, of 424.

President Donald Trump on Thursday teased an upcoming statement about the border, which he said would be his biggest, and a third U.S. official expects this apprehension to factor into it.

Customs and Border Protection has noticed groups crossing the border in ever larger numbers. Immigration advocates say it provides "safety in numbers" during the treacherous journey, though U.S. officials say it can overwhelm medical teams and border agents.



Photo Credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images, File

Cheshire Third Grader Advances to National Doodle for Google Competition

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A third-grade student from Cheshire is in the national Doodle for Google competition after taking the top spot in the state competition.

Natalia Pepe, a 3rd grader at St. Bridget School, was named the Connecticut winner for her doodle, “Farmers.”

The prompt for this year’s competition was “When I grow up, I hope…” and Pepe’s Doodle statement was: “When I grow up, I hope there will be more farms and more people to grow their own food. I think people and our Planet would benefit from it.”

This is the 11th Doodle competition, which is open to students from kindergarten to grade 12. Judges include Jimmy Fallon, 2018 National Teacher of the Year Mandy Manning and Kermit the Frog.

Everyone across the United States can vote for their favorite doodle from the 53 state and territory winners. Voting will be open from June 3 to June 7. When voting starts, you can cast a vote here. 

The national winner will receive a $30,000 college scholarship and a trip to Google’s headquarters in California as well as Google hardware and merchandise.

The school the winning student attends will receive a $50,000 tech package toward the establishment or improvement of a computer lab or STEM program, according to Google, .

The four finalists who do not become the national winner will also receive a trip to California plus hardware and merchandise, in addition to $5,000 college scholarships.



Photo Credit: Google

Drivers Urged to Avoid I-95 in Stamford for the Next 2 Weekends

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The governor’s office is urging drivers to avoid Interstate 95 in Stamford for the next two weekends because a bridge replacement project will detour all traffic off the highway in both directions, causing major delays.

A news release from Gov. Ned Lamont’s office says the project involves the complete demolition of the two bridge spans that carry Route 1 over I-95 and sliding in new, replacement spans.

All traffic on I-95 will be detoured off the highway at Exit 9 from 11 p.m. on Friday, May 31 until Monday, June 3 at 5 a.m. The same process will occur again the following weekend, with all traffic in the area detoured beginning at 11 p.m. on Friday, June 7, and ending on Monday, June 10 at 5 a.m.

The governor’s office said there were two options for the project. One would have taken up to two years to complete and cause major delays or the one that would require all traffic to be detoured off the highway but would only take two weekends to complete.

Learn more on the project here www.i95exit9.com. Video of the project will be streamed live online on that website as it happens.



Photo Credit: Connecticut Department of Transportation

Marijuana Found in Child's Lunchbox: State Police

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State police stopped a car on Interstate 84 in Bethel Thursday morning because it did not have a front license plate and said they found marijuana in a child’s lunchbox.

State police said they stopped the vehicle on I-84 West just before 10:30 a.m. and it smelled of marijuana.

With help from Favor, a state police narcotics dog, police found a child’s lunchbox in the trunk containing two bags of marijuana, a digital scale and plastic bags, according to a news release from police.

A post on the Facebook page for State Police Troop A shows marijuana in a lunch tote that is covered with peace signs, hearts and butterflies.

The driver, 24-year-old Edwin Alvarez, of Waterbury, was charged with possession of more than half an ounce of cannabis and sale of a narcotic substance. Bond was set at $2,500.



Photo Credit: Connecticut State Police-Troop A Southbury
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Police Investigate Reports of Attempted Child Abduction in Bridgeport

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Bridgeport police are investigating reports of an attempted child abduction from a bus stop Thursday morning. 

Police received 911 reports that there was an attempted child abduction from a bus stop at Logan Street and Stratford Avenue just after 10 a.m. Thursday and the initial reports were that the suspect ran off. 

Bridgeport police are investigating. 

No additional information was immediately available.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Mueller 'Could Have' Reached Decision on Trump, Barr Says

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Attorney General William Barr says he disagreed with former special counsel Robert Mueller's decision not to determine whether President Donald Trump broke the law by obstructing his probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

"I personally felt he could’ve reached a decision," Barr told CBS News in an interview that aired Thursday.

In his first public comments on his two-year investigation into Trump and Russia, Mueller said Wednesday he didn't weigh whether the president should be indicted because he knew he could not be. 



Photo Credit: Andrew Harnik/AP (File)
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Monroe Man Says There Was Disconnect Over Defective Mobile Devices

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A Monroe man said he bought two defective mobile Wi-Fi hot spots and found it nearly impossible to return them, until NBC Connecticut Responds stepped in to help.

Bill, who did not want to use his last name, had a Verizon Cellular plan and wanted a mobile Wi-Fi hot spot. So, last January he bought the device from Cellular Sales LLC of Connecticut in Shelton, an authorized retailer.

Over the next two weeks, Bill said, the device gave him SIM card error messages. He returned it and said he received the same error message on the second device he purchased from that Shelton retailer.

Bill then went to the Verizon store at Westfield mall in Trumbull to get an upgrade. He said the general manager told him that he couldn’t use the new device on his existing account because of the different systems between Verizon-owned stores and authorized retailers and instructed him to cancel the old account and return the second defective device.

Bill wasn’t satisfied with the company’s response and turned to Twitter to air his frustrations, which the company responded to and essentially told him to do the same thing.

When Bill couldn’t return it or get in touch with Verizon to resolve the issue, he contacted NBC Connecticut Responds.

As result, Verizon refunded Bill $159 for the cost of the mobile Wi-Fi hot spot.

A Verizon spokesperson told us in a statement:

“When a customer makes a purchase of a Verizon product we aim for every interaction to be overwhelmingly positive. We came up short in this case, but are glad to see that the issue was able to reach a successful resolution.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

18 Students Taken to Hospital After Bus Crash in Montville

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Eighteen students were taken to the hospital after a crash involving a school bus on Interstate 395 in Montville Thursday, according to Connecticut State Police.

State Police said the students were transported as a precaution. It is normal procedure to transport juvenile victims after an accident on the highway, police said.

Interstate 395 northbound is closed between exits 2 and 6.

No other details were immediately available.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Trump Says Russia Helped Him Get Elected, Then Denies It

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President Donald Trump appeared to acknowledge Thursday that Russia helped him get elected in 2016, a startling admission the president quickly walked back in comments to reporters.

The statement — which Trump tweeted, deleted and reposted Thursday morning — appears to be the first time Trump has said he had help winning the White House. It comes a day after Robert Mueller concluded his work as special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election by pointing out that his investigation did not exonerate Trump on the issue of obstructing justice.

Trump mentioned Russian election help in a larger point about how Mueller hadn't found that the Trump presidential campaign was involved with election interference.

"Russia, Russia, Russia! That's all you heard at the beginning of this Witch Hunt Hoax...And now Russia has disappeared because I had nothing to do with Russia helping me to get elected. It was a crime that didn't exist," Trump wrote in the tweet.

He continued, "So now the Dems and their partner, the Fake News Media, ... say he fought back against this phony crime that didn't exist, this horrendous false accusation, and he shouldn’t fight back, he should just sit back and take it. Could this be Obstruction? No, Mueller didn’t find Obstruction either. Presidential Harassment!"

But when asked about the comment several minutes later while departing the White House, Trump denied Russia helped him: "Russia did not help me get elected. You know who got me elected? I got me elected. Russia didn't help me at all." 

Mueller indicted 13 Russian nationals, 12 Russian intelligence officers and 3 Russian companies on charges connected to interfering in the election. While the U.S. intelligence community has accepted that Russia interfered in the election — emails of prominent Democrats were stolen and disseminated — Trump has often cast doubt on whether Russia was really behind it. 

Mueller stressed at the conclusion of his public statement Thursday "the central allegation of our indictments—that there were multiple, systematic efforts to interfere in our election."

"That allegation deserves the attention of every American," Mueller said. 

Trump did declare at a news conference before his inauguration, "I think it was Russia" behind the hacking of Democrats' emails. But he left open the possibility that other nations were involved in it, according to a list compiled by Politico.

Trump has also said Russian President Vladimir Putin told him personally that Russia didn't interfere in the election, and that he believes Putin.

"Every time he sees me, he says, 'I didn't do that.' And I believe — I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it," he told reporters in November 2017.

Trump's comments to reporters on Thursday reiterated his attacks on members of the team that investigated him. He said that he hopes that surviving the Mueller report "goes down as one of my greatest achievements because I've exposed corruption like nobody knew existed."

Attorney General William Barr has ordered an investigation into the origins of the Russia probe, something that Trump has long called for.  

Trump accused Mueller of being a "true never-Trumper," repeating his debunked claim that the former FBI director had conflicts of interest. 

Mueller, a Republican who was appointed special counsel by the Trump administration's former deputy attorney general, notes in his report that Trump's advisers dismissed the president's claims that Mueller had a conflict of interest as "silly" or "not true conflicts." 

Justice Department ethics officials also found it “appropriate” for Mueller to lead the investigation, according to FactCheck.org.



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