Bipartisan criticism rains on Trump for coddling of Putin

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump faced swift and sweeping condemnation on Monday after he sided with Russian President Vladimir Putin during an appearance in Helsinki, with officials calling it “bizarre,” “shameful” and “disgraceful”— and that’s just from the Republicans.

Lawmakers in both major parties and former intelligence officials rebuked Trump’s suggestion that he believes Putin’s denial of interfering in the 2016 elections.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called it “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory,” and said that “no prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant.”

“The damage inflicted by President Trump’s naivete, egotism, false equivalence and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate,” McCain said in a statement. “But it is clear that the summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake.”

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., called it “bizarre.” Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., called it “shameful.” And Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., tweeted that it was a “bad day for the US.”

“This was a very good day for President Putin,” said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. He said Trump’s refusal to condemn Russian interference in the 2016 election makes the U.S. “look like a pushover.”

Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, said he saw Russian intelligence manipulate many people in his earlier career as a CIA officer. But, he tweeted, “I never would have thought that the US President would become one of the ones getting played by old KGB hands.”

House Speaker Paul Ryan weighed in to say there’s “no question” that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election and “no moral equivalence” between the U.S. and Russia. “The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally,” Ryan, R-Wis., said in a statement. Russia, he said, “remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., repeated his earlier assessment that the Russians are “not our friends.” He said he has “complete confidence in our intelligence community and the findings.”

Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr of North Carolina said any statement by Putin that contradicts the findings that he ordered interference into the election “is a lie and should be recognized as one by the president.” Burr’s committee conducted an investigation and supported U.S. intelligence agencies’ finding that Putin ordered a campaign to interfere in the 2016 election.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said in a statement it is “even more important that the bipartisan Senate Select Committee on Intelligence investigation and the Mueller investigation continue until they are complete,” referring to special counsel Robert Mueller.

Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., who has been waging a battle with the Justice Department over access to documents on the Russia probe, said Moscow has been trying to undermine U.S. democracy and “sow the seeds of discord.” Gowdy said in a statement he’s confident top Trump administration officials “will be able to communicate to the president it is possible to conclude Russia interfered with our election in 2016 without delegitimizing his electoral success.”

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., the minority leader, said that never in the history of the country has an American president supported an adversary the way Trump sided with Putin. He challenged Republicans to move beyond words and confront the president directly by increasing sanctions on Russia and requesting testimony about the summit from Trump administration officials, among other things.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Trump’s weakness in front of Putin wasn’t just “embarrassing” but also “proves that the Russians have something on the president, personally, financially or politically.”

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., who is one of the most pro-Russia members of the House, said on Bloomberg Television that the U.S. interferes in Russian elections “at a much higher rate” than it has interfered in the U.S. election and that both sides are wrong.

Off Capitol Hill, former intelligence chiefs who served under President Barack Obama were scathing in their criticism. John Brennan, who served as CIA director, called Trump’s comments “treasonous.”

“Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of ‘high crimes & misdemeanors.’ It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???” Brennan tweeted.

James Clapper, who was director of national intelligence under Obama, described Trump’s comments as “very, very disturbing.”