Former U.S. ambassador to Russia expertly spears Trump's praise for Putin in one tweet

Former US Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul.
(Image credit: VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO/AFP/Getty Images)

Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia, delivered a supremely pithy retort via Twitter on Friday to Donald Trump's commendation of Russian President Vladimir Putin's "82 percent approval rating." In response to Trump's controversial praise earlier this week of Putin's "very strong control" over Russia, McFaul sarcastically pointed out that maybe President Obama, too, could be as popular as Putin if he started, say, arresting his detractors and taking control of the media:

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