Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin had a second, previously undisclosed talk at the G20 summit earlier this month in Germany.
The White House said it was a “brief” meeting, coming after dinner with other world leaders, but a senior White House official told CNN the talk lasted “nearly an hour.”
The President spoke with Putin through Russia’s translator. No other staff members were present.
The administration’s lack of immediate disclosure on the second meeting and the fact that another national security official and a US translator weren’t there with Trump then worried many observers.
The President responded to this criticism via Twitter, saying the media was twisting the talk to make it look “sinister.”