Valdimir Putin

Vladimir Putin has clarified an earlier claim that “patriotic” hackers could have meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, suggesting that American hackers could have sabotaged the results and used Russia as a scapegoat.

“Hackers can be anywhere. They can be in Russia, in Asia…even in America, Latin America,” the Russian president told NBC News’ Megyn Kelly in an interview that’s set to air Sunday night. “They can even be hackers, by the way, in the United States who very skillfully and professionally shifted the blame, as we say, onto Russia. Can you imagine something like that? In the midst of a political battle?”