President Donald Trump returned to the United States on Tuesday amid a firestorm over his comments at a summit with his Russian counterpart in which he questioned his country’s intelligence findings over alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential elections. In his first remarks since the Helsinki summit, he said that he misspoke during a joint news conference with President Vladimir Putin after their talks. "The sentence should have been, I dont see any reason why I wouldnt, or why it wouldnt be Russia" instead of "why it would," Trump said, in a rare admission of error. Trump told reporters at the White House that he had full faith and support for US intelligence agencies and accepted their conclusion that Russia meddled in the election. “The full faith and support for America’s intelligence agencies - I have a full faith in our intelligence agencies,” Trump added in remarks preceding a meeting with House of Representatives Republicans about possible future tax cuts. He stressed Russian actions had no impact on the outcome of the vote and the administration would work aggressively to protect the November 2018 congressional elections. "I accept our intelligence communitys conclusion that Russias meddling in the 2016 election took place," Trump said Tuesday. But he added, "It could be other people also. A lot of people out there. There was no collusion at all." Standing alongside Putin at the news conference on Monday, Trump was asked if he believed US intelligence agencies’ conclusions that Russia interfered in the election in an effort to help him defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump said he was not convinced it was Moscow. “I don’t see any reason why it would be,” Trump remarked. “President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.” Reaction back home was immediate and visceral, among fellow Republicans as well as usual Trump critics. "Shameful," disgraceful," weak," were a few of the comments. Makes the US "look like a pushover," said GOP Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee. On Capitol Hill, top Republican leaders said they were open to slapping fresh sanctions on Russia but showed no signs of acting any time soon. "Lets be very clear, just so everybody knows: Russia did meddle with our elections," said House Speaker Paul Ryan. "What we intend to do is make sure they dont get away with it again and also to help our allies." In the Senate, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York called for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other top officials to appear before Congress and tell exactly what happened during Trumps two-hour private session with Putin.