Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Comparison of US, Russia creates stir
GOP officials seek distance from Trump’s remarks on Putin, violence in 2 countries
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump offered a fulsome defense of Russian President Vladimir Putin over the weekend, leaving Republican lawmakers frustrated and flummoxed yet again by the president’s warm feelings toward the rival government.
During Putin’s years in power, a number of prominent Russian opposition figures and journalists have been killed.
In a Fox News interview with host Bill O’Reilly that aired before the Super Bowl, Trump — who during the campaign repeatedly praised Putin — said, “I do respect him,” then was asked why.
“I respect a lot of people, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to get along with him. He’s a leader of his country. I say it’s better to get along with Russia than not. And if Russia helps us in the fight against ISIS, which is a major fight, and Islamic terrorism all over the world — that’s a good thing,” Trump said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group. “Will I get along with him? I have no idea.”
O’Reilly then said about Putin: “But he’s a killer, though. Putin’s a killer.”
Trump responded: “There are a lot of killers. We’ve got a lot of killers. What do you think? Our country’s so innocent?”
When O’Reilly said he doesn’t know any government leaders who are killers, Trump responded “take a look at what we’ve done too. We’ve made a lot of mistakes” and referenced the Iraq war.
Trump’s comments came even as his United Nations envoy, Nikki Haley, on Thursday condemned Russia’s “aggressive actions” in eastern Ukraine and as both the Senate and House intelligence committees launched investigations into alleged hacking by Russia of the U.S. election that the intelligence community believes was intended to benefit Trump.
Trump’s latest comments left Capitol Hill Republicans scrambling to distance themselves from the president and his unusually friendly stance toward Putin, who has praised the president as a “smart” man.
In an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called Putin “a former KGB agent” and “a thug,” and he rejected any comparison between the two nations, citing Russia’s annexation of Crimea, its incursions into Ukraine and its alleged interference in the U.S. election.
“I don’t think there’s any equivalency between the way that the Russians conduct themselves and the way the United States does,” McConnell said.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., weighed in on Twitter with two missives that he personally penned. “When has a Democratic political activists ever been poisoned by the GOP or vice versa? We are not the same as #Putin,” he wrote. In a second tweet, he said the United States should lift sanctions on Russia only if it ends its violations in Ukraine.
Appearing on four Sunday shows, Vice President Mike Pence rejected the notion that Trump had equated Russia to the United States.
“I simply don’t accept that there was any moral equivalency in the president’s comments,” Pence said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “There was no moral equivalency. What you heard there was a determination to attempt to deal with the world as it is — to start afresh with Putin and to start afresh with Russia.”
Pressed by John Dickerson, the show’s host, on whether he believed the United States was morally superior to Russia, Pence repeatedly dodged the question, instead finally saying, “American ideals are superior to countries all across the world.”
But he also broadly defended his boss, saying on ABC’s “This Week,” “There’s a new style of leadership, not just a new leader in the White House.”
“President Trump is bringing a very candid — and direct type of leadership to the White House,” Pence said. “And in conversations with leaders around the world, frankly, I think they all find it very refreshing.”
Democrats were harsher in their response.
“I really do resent that he would say something like that,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., also on ABC. She said she did not think there was any comparison to be made.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., even called for an investigation by the FBI into Trump’s financial, personal and political connections to Russia.
“I want to know what the Russians have on Donald Trump,” she said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “We want to see his tax returns so we can have truth in the relationship between Putin, whom he admires, and Donald Trump.”
On other issues, Trump said:
California’s consideration of legislation to create a statewide sanctuary for people living in the country illegally is “ridiculous.” He suggested withholding federal funding as possible punishment.
Plans to enact a replacement for the Affordable Care Act could slip into next year. “I would like to say by the end of the year, at least the rudiments, but we should have something within the year and the following year,” Trump said.