Trump dares Russia to hack Clinton e-mails

The billionaire Republican nominee for president used a sweeping news conference to undermine his Democratic rival, astonishingly imply that Vladimir Putin used a racial slur against President Barack Obama and to promise a heyday of US-Russian relations under a Trump presidency.

"I have nothing to do with Russia," said Trump, who frequently insists he will get Putin's respect and who has alarmed Nato allies by refusing to promise them unconditional support in the event of a hostile attack.

Yesterday, Trump said he had never met or spoken to the Russian leader but cast doubt over accusations that Moscow was behind a hack of Democratic Party e-mails that embarrassed his rival Hillary Clinton's campaign. "If it is Russia, which it probably isn't, but if it is Russia, it's bad for a different reason, it shows how little respect they have for our country," said Trump in reference to the Democratic National Committee e-mail hack.

He then turned his guns on Clinton's e-mail scandal dating back to her time as secretary of state and more than 30000 e-mails which she deleted on grounds they were personal and not related to her job as America's top diplomat.

"I will tell you this, Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30000 e-mails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press," Trump said.

The Clinton camp responded furiously, accusing Trump of encouraging foreign espionage. "This has to be the first time that a major presidential candidate has actively encouraged a foreign power to conduct espionage against his political opponent," Clinton's senior policy adviser Jake Sullivan said.