Reversal not enough for Dems, some GOP
WASHINGTON — President Trump’s attempt to walk back his expressed support for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denials of election interference drew mixed reviews as the White House tried to move past the explosive joint appearance of Trump and Putin in Helsinki this week.
Trump’s explanation that he misspoke was welcomed by some GOP lawmakers eager to move the party past one of the most controversial events of Trump’s presidency. But others, questioning Trump’s sincerity, were not quelled.
Experts said Trump would not have been able to put the episode behind him without fully endorsing intelligence officials’ assessment that Russia engaged in an election interference campaign, and proving that he can be tough on Putin.
“People wanted to hear him say he backed the conclusion of the nation’s intelligence community and that he thinks the Russians meddled in the 2016 election,” said Republican strategist Ford O’Connell.
For some Republican lawmakers, Trump’s pivot yesterday was welcome.
“I’m just glad he clarified it,” U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) told reporters on Capitol Hill. “I can’t read his intentions or what he meant to say at the time. Suffice it to say that for me as a policymaker, what really matters is what we do moving forward.”
But for Democrats and some Republicans, the change in tone was not only insufficient, but predictable.
Democrats accused Trump of political gaslighting.
“It’s a classic Trump move, to try to argue that you are going to have to believe me or your own lying eyes,” said Democratic strategist and former Clinton White House aide Matt Bennett. “It defies logic and it defies the content of the entire rest of the press conference.”
“I would say that we all watched the press conference, and it wasn’t the fake news media that sided with the Russian president over our own intelligence agencies. It was you,” U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said.
Some experts called yesterday’s damage control reminiscent of Trump’s comments after the deadly clash between white supremacists and those protecting them in Charlottesville, Va., last year. After failing to strongly denounce hate groups in his initial reaction, Trump then gave a prepared statement — only later to make off-the-cuff comments blaming “both sides” for the deadly violence, and suggesting protesters came gunning for a fight.
That means Trump could, at any time, double down on his support of Putin’s denials despite intelligence officials’ determinations.
Top Democratic U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said efforts by Trump to “squirm away” from his comments will only boomerang to make Putin “feel that he can take even further advantage of President Trump.”