HALLIE JACKSON: New fallout for encouraging espionage from Russia against Hillary Clinton. And now a new defense.
[BEGIN AUDIO]
DONALD TRUMP: I was being sarcastic when I said it, but where are those emails?
[END AUDIO]
JACKSON: Sarcasm he says. National security experts not laughing. Trump's talk about Russia raising new questions about his relationship with its president, Vladimir Putin.
[BEGIN VIDEO]
TRUMP: I never met Putin. I don't know who Putin is. He said one nice thing about me.
[END VIDEO]
JACKSON: But here's what he said in 2013 to MSNBC's Thomas Roberts.
[BEGIN VIDEO]
TRUMP: I do have a relationship, and I can tell you that he's very interested in what we're doing here today.
[END VIDEO]
JACKSON: A Trump aide maintaining the two men have never had a personal relationship, arguing nothing Trump has said publicly contradicts that. Those public comments including these in 2014 --
[BEGIN VIDEO]
TRUMP: I spoke indirectly and directly with President Putin, who could not have been nicer.
[END VIDEO]
JACKSON: -- and these in 2015.
[BEGIN VIDEO]
TRUMP: And I got to know him very well because we were both on 60 Minutes.
[END VIDEO]