Several leading Republicans and other conservatives criticized President Trump for his defense of Russian President Vladimir Putin's record as a "killer" in a Fox News interview that aired Sunday. Fox News host Bill O'Reilly asked Trump to explain his desire for improving relations with Putin, citing Putin's history, and Trump replied: "What, you think our country's so innocent?" Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on CNN's State of the Union that it was wrong to suggest any equivalency between Russia's conduct and America's. "The Russians annexed Crimea, invaded Ukraine, and messed around in our elections," said McConnell, who branded Putin as a "thug."
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) said there is "no moral equivalency between the United States of America, the greatest freedom-loving nation in the history of the world, and the murderous thugs" of Putin's regime. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, called Trump's comments on Putin "deeply troubling and wrong."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Border agents crash Newsom redistricting kickoffSpeed Read Armed federal Border Patrol agents amassed outside the venue where the California governor and other Democratic leaders were gathered
-
Man charged for hoagie attack as DC fights takeoverSpeed Read The Trump administration filed felony charges against a man who threw a Subway sandwich at a federal agent
-
Trump BLS nominee floats ending key jobs reportSpeed Read On Fox News, E.J. Antoni suggested scrapping the closely watched monthly jobs report
-
Trump picks conservative BLS critic to lead BLSspeed read He has nominated the Heritage Foundation's E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics
-
Trump takes over DC police, deploys National GuardSpeed Read The president blames the takeover on rising crime, though official figures contradict this concern
-
Trump sends FBI to patrol DC, despite falling crimeSpeed Read Washington, D.C., 'has become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world,' Trump said
-
Trump officials reinstating 2 Confederate monumentsSpeed Read The administration has plans to 'restore Confederate names and symbols' discarded in the wake of George Floyd's 2020 murder
-
Trump nominates Powell critic for vacant Fed seatspeed read Stephen Miran, the chair of Trump's Council of Economic Advisers and a fellow critic of Fed chair Jerome Powell, has been nominated to fill a seat on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors
