US delays Putin's visit to Washington

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The U.S. on Wednesday delayed Russian President Vladimir Putin's upcoming visit to Washington until 2019.

Putin was to meet President Donald Trump this fall, but Trump's national security advisor said the delay is due to the ongoing special counsel probe into Russia's alleged attempt to influence the 2016 presidential election and the Trump campaign's possible cooperation with that effort.

"The President believes that the next bilateral meeting with President Putin should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over, so we’ve agreed that it will be after the first of the year,” National Security Advisor John Bolton said in statement.

Trump and his administration have derided Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation as a "witch hunt."