Ohio Gov. Kasich breaks with President Trump on media criticism

In a sign that Ohio Gov. John Kasich is continuing an independent approach, Kasich broke with President Donald Trump on his tweet that the news media is the “enemy of the American people.”

“While I don’t always agree with the reporting of the press, they are vital,” said Kasich who at times has had a turbulent relationship with the Ohio news media.

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Kasich made the comments during an interview from Munich, Germany on CNN.

In another dig against Trump, Kasich said a joint House-Senate intelligence committee “investigation ought to get to the bottom of” charges that Russian officials orchestrated an effort to hack Democratic National Committee e-mails during last year’s campaign between Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

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“Were they trying to influence our election?” Kasich asked. “Many European countries are worried about Russia’s hacking their elections, disrupting their elections. So, I believe that the House and Senate can carry this out. And I think that it has to be done in a bipartisan and thorough way.”

Kasich also urged Trump to reassure America’s nervous European allies that he is committed to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, saying they need to directly hear from Trump that “we all stand together in the Western Alliance.”

Kasich said while Vice President Mike Pence and Defense Secretary James Mattis in Munich and Brussels this week said the administration stands with NATO, many allies point to Trump’s past description of the alliance as “obsolete.”

“The president’s people have all said it, but, frankly, he needs to be heard in a more … clear way,” Kasich said. “Because, despite all these people being here, I have been meeting with all these folks from all over the world. They say: ‘We’re just not sure.’”

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