US presidential hopeful Donald Trump says he was being sarcastic when he appeared to invite Russian hackers to find Hillary Clinton’s missing emails.
He told Fox News that the Democratic Party was using the row over his remarks to deflect from bigger issues.
His remarks on Wednesday were regarding 30,000 emails Mrs Clinton did not hand over as part of an inquiry into a private email server.
Russia has accused the candidates of stirring up anti-Russian sentiment.
“Of course I’m being sarcastic,” Mr Trump told Fox News.
His campaign has maintained pressure on Mrs Clinton over an FBI investigation into her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.
During the investigation, Mrs Clinton did not hand over 30,000 emails as they contained private details.
