U.S. President Donald Trump has received harsh criticism for not mentioning the “fairness” of Russia’s presidential election as well as not putting pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin about the poisoning of a former Russian double agent living in England, an incident the United Kingdom blamed on Moscow.
According to The Washington Post, Trump phoned Putin on Tuesday to congratulate him for winning a fourth term and to discuss a possible summit meeting. But Washington seized on the topics that were not discussed, which include Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Republican Senator John McCain stated that the President “insulted” the people of Russia by congratulating Putin for winning an election whose result was never in question.
“An American president does not lead the Free World by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections,” said McCain, a frequent critic of Trump who has pressed him to take a more aggressive approach toward the Kremlin.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that Trump can “call whomever he chooses,” but added that phoning Putin “wouldn’t have been high on my list.”
The Senate leader noted “the lack of credibility in tallying the results” in last weekend’s election, in which Putin won 77 percent of the vote.
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended the President’s approach, noting that several friendly foreign leaders made similar calls, as did former President Obama when Putin last won reelection, in 2012.
“We’re focused on our elections. We don’t get to dictate how other countries operate,” Sanders said when asked if Russia’s election was “free and fair.”
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