BOOTIN’ PUTIN

Trump & allies kick out Russia diplos in spy poison backlash

President Trump delivered a stinging blow to Russian President Vladimir Put in yesterday by ordering the expulsion of 60 diplomats and the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle near a US submarine base. The move was in retaliation for the poisoning of a former Kremlin spy and his daughter in England. Other allies joined the US in punishing Russia for the brazen attack.

The US announced on Monday that it would expel 60 Russian diplomats, joining allies across Europe to punish Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin for a poison attack on one of its former spies in the UK.

President Trump did not personally comment on the expulsions, but the White House said in a statement that Russia needed to be punished for the brazen attack.

“President Trump ordered the expulsion of dozens of Russian intelligence officers from the United States and the closure of the Russian Consulate in Seattle due to its proximity to one of our submarine bases and Boeing,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in the statement.

“The United States takes this action in conjunction with our NATO allies and partners around the world in response to Russia’s use of a military-grade chemical weapon on the soil of the United Kingdom, the latest in its ongoing pattern of destabilizing activities around the world.”

Jon Huntsman, the US ambassador to Russia, called the move “the largest expulsion of Russian intelligence officers in United States history.”

Britain has blamed Russia for the March 4 poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury. Both were stricken by the deadly nerve agent Novichok. Moscow has denied the accusation.

Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to the US, said on Monday that the decision to oust the diplomats was a “very bad step” that threatened to destroy what was left of the countries’ relationship.

The US “will understand what kind of grave mistake they did, and I hope that maybe in the future our relations will be restored,” he said.

A Kremlin spokesman said Putin would make a final decision about Russia’s response.

White House spokesman Raj Shah later said that while the expulsions were necessary, the president still wants to develop a solid relationship with Russia and Putin.

“Today’s actions make the United States safer by reducing Russia’s ability to spy on Americans and to conduct covert operations and threaten America’s national security,” he said during a press briefing at the White House.

“We want to work with Russia, but this cannot be tolerated. The United States is responding to Russia’s action, [which was] brazen and