The usual anti-Trump Republicans offer rebukes to Donald Trump’s Helsinki comments , in which he praised Russian President Putin and stood by the Russian against his own countries Intelligence Community….
The fear of Republican lawmakers to cross Trump is still real…..
Lawmakers are well aware that despite the media onslaught against Trump in the last 24 hours or so?
Republicans voters have stood by Trump thru thick and thin, even changing their views of Putin for the better….
Most Republican lawmakers that are in office are cautiously waiting to see how the wind blows on this…..
“The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally,” said House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.). “The United States must be focused on holding Russia accountable and putting an end to its vile attacks on democracy.”
Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), a Trump ally and a fierce critic of the FBI’s investigation of election meddling, released a statement calling on top administration officials to tell Trump “it is possible to conclude Russia interfered with our election in 2016 without delegitimizing his electoral success.”
Republican senators also were quick in their criticism of Trump’s statements. “Shameful,” tweeted Sen. Jeff Flake (Ariz.). “Bizarre and flat-out wrong,” wrote Sen. Ben Sasse (Neb.) in reference to Trump’s separate assertion that both countries were to blame for their deteriorating relationship. “Missed opportunity,” said Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.), who added that Trump’s answer “will be seen by Russia as a sign of weakness and create far more problems than it solves.”
Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) denounce President Trump’s lack of response to Vladimir Putin’s denial of election interference.
Since Trump’s inauguration, members of his party on Capitol Hill have stifled much of their criticism of the president to preserve their own electoral viability and their ability to maintain private channels of communication with him. Trump’s statements on Monday threatened that stance perhaps more than at any time since his defense last summer of Nazi sympathizers in Charlottesville during a dispute over Confederate statues.
At the Capitol on Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) declined to respond to a reporter’s questions about whether he was disappointed with Trump’s statements.
“As I have said repeatedly, the Russians are not our friends and I entirely agree with the assessment of our intelligence community,” he said as he walked into the Senate chamber.
Some of the sharpest words Monday came from senators who have focused on foreign policy, a position that has often left them at odds with a president intent on upending traditional U.S. relationships….
Correction….
Not all Republicans are mute on Trump’s presser yesterday….
“I’ve never been more disappointed in my life,” said Representative Walter Jones, a North Carolina Republican, who has supported the investigation into Russian election interference and any links to the Trump campaign. “I called my staff and told them the ghost of Reagan is probably as mad as hell.”…
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Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, said Trump “is trying to maintain some rapport with him, but clearly I disagree with Mr. Putin and I agree with our intelligence officials that they did attempt to meddle in the election.”
Cornyn later told CNN that senators were discussing a nonbinding measure that would reaffirm the chamber’s support for the intelligence community. “I don’t know what the president’s mental calculation was in giving Putin a pass,” Cornyn said.
Illinois Republican Adam Kinzinger, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said on CNN Tuesday suggested that Congress pass a nonbinding resolution to show symbolic support for NATO and for “reaffirming — however we want to word it — that Russia is an enemy or at least a competitor and that they’re doing really, really, really bad things around the globe and their’s no equivalency.”
At least one Republican saw Trump’s performance beside Putin as part of a deeper strategy. Representative Ralph Norman, a South Carolina Republican, said this was another example of Trump the businessman having an unconventional way of dealing with adversaries.
“I don’t look at his words, I look at what he does,” Norman said….
More…
Big deal….
Contrary to what one reads here?This thing is already over.There will be no lasting repercussions from any of this.Trumps support among Republicans will remain about where it’s been.
Indeed some of the so called “criticism” was pathetic.Lindsay Graham , in deadly fear of a primary challenger in two years, lamented a “lost opportunity.”Yeah that telling em Lindsay.Much of the “criticism” didn’t even mention Trumps kissy kissy with Vlad but instead was in the form of “support” for the intelligence agencies.
The House “Freedom(sic) “ caucus reiterated its support of Trump as did a host of individual Republican lawmakers.
In SC the Republican Sate Chair described the Party Exec Committee As “rock solid” in it support of Trump in warning off any presumptive primary opponents.
There still remains this quaint little idea among some here that Republicans are going to abandon Trump.They just refuse to see that the Republican Party is now the Trump Party and all the past “beliefs” of that party (except for cutting taxes for the wealthy) is all open to revision based on the whims of their Leader.
It would be interesting to see a poll as to positive views of Putin.I believe that after Trumps little performance in Helsinki ,among Republicans?
It will rise.
Totally agree Jack, Kevin Brady is on right now kissing Trump’s ass over the next “tax bill” after Trump gave his “much ado about nothing” statement to clean up yesterday. Trump said he misspoke yesterday. Now the Republicans will now try to change the subject.
They will stonewall this now and the GOP will slink away over this bullshit excuse.
It has been reported that Trump thought the press conference with Putin went well until he turned on his TV on the plane ride back. Trump is a fool and traitor, and the Republicans in Congress are enablers.
Yes and then we have the enablers of the enablers.
And as I predicted yesterday,Trump has now revised his remarks and says he now “accepts” the intelligence community conclusions as to Russian meddling in the election.