REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
Donald Trump told press on Wednesday that he doesn’t know Vladimir Putin, shortly before asking the Russian government to hack Hillary Clinton’s emails. But in a 2013 interview with MSNBC, Trump boasted of being acquainted with the Russian leader. “I do have a relationship and I can tell you that he's very interested in what we're doing here today," Trump told anchor Thomas Roberts in Moscow during the 2013 Miss Universe pageant. “He’s probably very interested in what... I am saying today, and I’m sure he’s going to be seeing it in some form.” Trump also allegedly scheduled a meeting with Putin that same year, before that competition, NBC reported. Due to a scheduling conflict, however, the two men did not meet at the time, although Putin reportedly sent a gift and a note to Trump’s New York offices.