Let's be clear about the following quote from this reporting:
"Trump, for his part, has dismissed talk of Russian interference in the election as “fake news,” insisting there was no contact between his campaign and Russian officials."

In a recent statement Trump essentially said he could only soak for himself: he had and has no contracts with Russian's and was not influenced. It was subtle, but left open that someone in the campaign could have been so compromised without his knowledge.