From Fox News to U.S. Sen. John McCain, reviews of Donald Trump in Helsinki have been harsh.
Today’s press conference in #Helsinki was one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.
My full statement on the #HelsinkiSummit: https://t.co/lApjctZyZl
— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) July 16, 2018
Now comes reaction from members of Congress in Arkansas:
Our nation's intelligence community, as well as the Senate Intelligence Committee, is confident that Russia intervened in the 2016 elections. I agree w/ their assessment & believe our relationship w/ Russia must consistently be viewed through this lens. Russia is not our friend.
— Senator John Boozman (@JohnBoozman) July 16, 2018
I’m disappointed the President downplayed the very real threat Russia poses to our country and our values. Make no mistake, Russia is dangerous. I thank the brave individuals in our intelligence community who work daily to keep America safe.
— Rep. Steve Womack (@rep_stevewomack) July 16, 2018
And, whoa, this isn’t the only ugly Russian angle for Trump to contend with. A new criminal charge announced today and it links up Russians with the NRA and efforts to help Trump.
This quote from Rep. French Hill.
“For decades Russia has engaged in propaganda and political shenanigans in Western democracies, and based on publicly available intelligence and information, their efforts in the U.S. elections in 2016 were no different.
“President Trump missed an opportunity today in his meeting and press conference with Russian President Putin to make clear that the United States does not believe Russian denials about meddling in our 2016 elections and that America will not stand for interference of this kind.
“In the House we have passed multiple bills sanctioning Russian interests, increasing U.S. military and intelligence spending, and supporting our European allies from Russian aggression. We continue to call upon the current administration to counter Russia’s political and military actions in Syria, the Middle East, and the Ukraine, and to hold Russia accountable for their attempts to meddle in U.S. and European elections. Undercutting and destabilizing democracies are not the action of friends.”
Later, Sen. Tom Cotton weighed in with a statement that, said many
My statement on the Helsinki Summit: pic.twitter.com/e0bDgr5tEn
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) July 16, 2018