"I don't know what happened in that [Trump-Putin] meeting. I think as time goes by, and president has already mentioned some things that happened in that meeting. I think we will learn more. But that is the president's prerogative," Coats stated at the Aspen Security Forum on Thursday.
Coats said Trump had requested his opinion on the summit's format, but the intelligence chief would advised the meeting to be conducted in a different way.
When asked whether there is a risk that Putin could have recorded the private conversation in Helsinki, Coats said, "That risk is always there."
Coats was one of the first US government officials who spoke out in response to Trump's remarks in Helsinki about Russia's role in the 2016 US presidential election.
The DNI noted he expressed his opinion because he felt the intelligence community assessment still stands.
The intelligence chief recalled that Trump later walked back his remarks.
Coats added it is undeniable that Russia remains a leading country in trying to undermine US democracy. Russian officials have frequently denied all accusations of meddling and called them absurd.
