Trump’s surrender to Putin greeted with outrage by Democrats and Republicans | US news
Lauren Gambino
Donald Trump drew mostly bipartisan condemnation after failing to
denounce Russian meddling in the US presidential election at a joint
press conference with Vladimir Putin.
Criticism came from familiar corners such as the Republican senators
John McCain and Jeff Flake, but of note were some usually friendly
voices who added to the chorus, including the House speaker, Paul Ryan,
and the former House speaker, Newt Gingrich, who called Trump’s behavior
the “most serious mistake of his presidency”.
The two presidents met in Helsinki for their first summit just days
after the US justice department indicted 12 Russian intelligence
officers in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary
Clinton’s presidential campaign in a concerted effort to help lift
Trump to power.
Many Democrats reacted with shock as some party lawmakers panned
Trump’s performance as “unprecedented” and destructive to America’s
standing on the world stage.
“In the entire history of our country, Americans have never seen a
president of the United States support an American adversary the way
President Trump has supported President Putin,” Senate minority leader
Chuck Schumer said in a statement. “For the president of the United
States to side with President Putin against American law enforcement,
American defense officials, and American intelligence agencies is
thoughtless, dangerous and weak. The president is putting himself over
our country.”
Schumer went on to speculate whether Putin somehow had
undue influence on Trump. “A single, ominous question now hangs over the
White House: what could possibly cause President Trump to put the
interests of Russia
over those of the United States?” he continued. “Millions of Americans
will continue to wonder if the only possible explanation for this
dangerous behavior is the possibility that President Putin holds
damaging information over President Trump.”
In a Facebook post,
the former vice-president Joe Biden called Trump’s comportment at the
press conference “beneath the dignity of the office of the president”.
He urged Congress to “speak out to make it clear that we believe in
democracy over dictatorship, that we support our allies and not those
who seek to weaken us, and that we will defend our freedom when it is
attacked”.
John Brennan, the CIA director under Barack Obama, said Trump’s conduct was “nothing short of treasonous” and called on Republicans to condemn his behavior.
“Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to
& exceeds the threshold of ‘high crimes & misdemeanors.’ It was
nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic,
he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are
you???” he tweeted.
John O. Brennan
(@JohnBrennan)
Donald Trump’s press conference performance in
Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of “high crimes &
misdemeanors.” It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s
comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican
Patriots: Where are you???
A familiar cast of dissident Republican lawmakers swiftly rebuked Trump in terms that echoed some of what Democrats were saying.
Arizona senator John McCain angrily denounced Trump and called the
press conference a “pathetic rout” and “one of the most disgraceful
performances by an American president in memory”.
In a statement McCain said: “The damage inflicted by
President Trump’s naiveté, egotism, false equivalence and sympathy for
autocrats is difficult to calculate. But it is clear that the summit in
Helsinki was a tragic mistake … No prior president has ever abased
himself more abjectly before a tyrant.”
Others joined in. “I never thought I would see the day when our
American President would stand on the stage with the Russian President
and place blame on the United States for Russian aggression,” wrote Senator Jeff Flake, a Republican of Arizona who is retiring this year after high-profile clashes with Trump. “This is shameful.”
Trump calls Putin 'very, very strong' in post-summit TV interview – video
In a thread on Twitter, Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from
South Carolina, who plays both Trump ally and critic, called it a “bad
day for the US” and repeated the conclusion that Russia meddled in the
US presidential election.
“This answer by President Trump will be seen by Russia as a sign of
weakness and create far more problems than it solves,” Graham said.
“The American people deserve the truth, & to disregard the
legitimacy of our intelligence officials is a disservice to the men
& women who serve this country,” said Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger. “It’s time to wake up & face reality. #Putin is not our friend; he’s an enemy to our freedom.”
Senator Ben Sasse, a Republican from Nebraska, said Trump’s comments
that “both countries” were responsible for the deterioration in
US-Russia relations is “bizarre and flat out wrong”.
“The United States is not to blame,” Sasse said. “America wants a
good relationship with the Russian people but Vladimir Putin and his
thugs are responsible for Soviet-style aggression. When the president
plays these moral equivalence games, he gives Putin a propaganda win he
desperately needs.”
But there were also other Republican voices adding to the chorus of
criticism who usually shy away from taking on Trump. Ryan, who said
there was “no question” that Russia interfered in the 2016 election,
added: “The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally.”
Meanwhile Gingrich, a confidant of the president, delivered
a rare rebuke: “President Trump must clarify his statements in Helsinki
on our intelligence system and Putin. It is the most serious mistake of
his presidency and must be corrected – immediately.”
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