‘Shameful’: GOP senators join Democrats in Trump rebuke

Republicans yesterday surpassed Democrats in condemning Donald Trump after he sided with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki.

US Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer yesterday. Picture: AP

Republicans yesterday surpassed Democrats in condemning Donald Trump after he sided with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki.

Members from both sides of the congressional aisle and former intelligence officials appeared shocked, dismayed and uneasy with the US President’s suggestion he believes the Russian President’s denial of interfering in the 2016 elections.

Senator John McCain, a former Republican presidential nominee, called it “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory”.

Republican senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska called it “bizarre”; senator Jeff Flake of Arizona called it “shameful”; and senator Lindsey Graham, who ran against Mr Trump for the 2016 nomination, tweeted it was a “bad day for the US”.

“This was a very good day for President Putin,” said Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee. He said Mr Trump’s refusal to condemn Russian election interference made the US “look like a pushover”.

Representative Will Hurd said that in his earlier career as a CIA officer, he had seen Russian intelligence manipulate many people 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 was “no question” that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election and “no moral equivalence” between the US and Russia.

Much of the Republican rebuke came from congress members who have been willing to openly criticise the President, a group that remains a minority in the GOP.

Trump ally Newt Gingrich called it “the most serious mistake” of Mr Trump’s presidency — and one that “must be corrected — immediately”.

Democrats pleaded with their GOP colleagues who control both houses of congress to rein in the President and become a stronger legislative check on the executive.

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said never in the history of the country had a president supported an adversary the way Mr Trump sided with Mr Putin. “We need our Republican colleagues to stand up for the good of this country,” he said.

House of Representatives minority leader Nancy Pelosi said Mr Trump’s weakness in front of Mr Putin wasn’t just “embarrassing” but proved the “Russians have something on the President, personally, financially or politically”.

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell repeated his assessment the Russians were “not our friend”, saying he had “complete confidence in our intelligence community and the findings.”

The second-ranking Republican, senator John Cornyn, said Mr Trump had a “delicate task” in dealing with Mr Putin but he supported the intelligence community’s assessment.

Intelligence chiefs who served under Barack Obama were scathing. Former CIA director John Brennan called the 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???” Mr Brennan tweeted.

Former director of national intelligence James Clapper described the comments as “very, very disturbing”. “On the world stage in front of the entire globe the President of the US essentially capitulated and seems intimidated by Vladimir Putin,” Mr Clapper told CNN.

James Comey, the FBI director fired by Mr Trump, tweeted: “This was the day an American president stood on foreign soil next to a murderous lying thug and refused to back his own country.”

Senator Rand Paul, who ran for the nomination against Mr Trump, scoffed at both parties “beating their chests” and “dumbing down” the debate, saying it was important for the US to have diplomatic channels open with its adversaries if the country hoped to change behaviour. “They’re making a big mistake,” he said. He dismissed the critics as those who hate the President. “It’s Trump derangement syndrome.”

AP