When he was asked Thursday by a reporter what he would do if Putin denies Russia’s involvement, Trump said, “He may deny it. I mean, it’s one of those things. So all I can do is say, ‘Did you?’ and ‘Don’t do it again.’”

There was no indication late Friday that Trump was preparing to say anything else in their meeting to hold Putin accountable.

Joyce Vance, who served as a U.S. attorney in Alabama during the Obama administration, said Trump’s apparent indifference to the election attack is “shocking.”

“Cyberspace is the new front of warfare and our country was attacked, but instead of treating this like the real Pearl Harbor moment that it is, the president just wants to have business as usual,” Vance said.