Summary
Donald Trump returned late Monday from his European tour to face ire in Washington, where U.S. intelligence officials and senior Republicans were denouncing the president as "shameful" and "disgraceful" after he refused to challenge Russian leader Vladimir Putin over interference in American elections.
Republican Senator John McCain said Trump's seeming acceptance of Putin's denial was a historical "low point" for the U.S. presidency and the Helsinki summit between the two leaders a "tragic mistake".
That came three days after the U.S. Justice Department indicted 12 Russians for hacking Democratic Party computers, the latest in a series of actions taken by the U.S. government since late 2016 in retribution for what intelligence agencies say was a broad plan to support Trump's election campaign directed by Putin himself.
Trump also appeared to embrace Putin's offer to have Russian investigators work together with US prosecutors on the case of the 12 just indicted.
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