GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS (CO-HOST): We move on now to the latest firestorm sparked by Donald Trump after he yesterday called on Russia to find and release Hillary Clinton's private emails. Critics accused him of treason for appearing to encourage a foreign government to launch a cyberattack against America and our presidential election. ABC's Tom Llamas has the latest from Trump Tower in New York. Good morning, Tom.

TOM LLAMAS: George, good morning to you. That claim grabbing so many headlines, including this one in the New York Daily News. It says “lock him up” and it calls the Republican nominee “Comrade Trump.” Now, in an interview that's set to run this morning, Trump says he was just being sarcastic. But, George, I was there in that news conference yesterday. Trump stood by the claim multiple times.

Previously:

Right-Wing Media Claim Trump Was “Joking” About Russian Espionage, But National Security Experts Aren’t Laughing

Media Widely Condemn Trump's “Mindblowing” Call For The Russian Government To Cyberattack Hillary Clinton

NBC's Nicolle Wallace: Trump's “Affinity For All Things Putin-esque Is Alarming”