President Trump defends congratulatory call to Putin
Trump unapologetic about reaching out to the Russian president, John Kelly frustrated with leak; chief White House correspondent John Roberts reports.
Don’t rule out the possibility that the White House leak that set the media aflame in foolish suppositions this week came from Mr. Trump himself. That would be the leak saying he ignored his staff’s advice not to congratulate Russian President Vladimir Putin on his sham election victory.
After all, who delights in letting us know that he defies the advice of his establishment advisers? Who believes and has told us repeatedly that his personal-relationship prowess is the solution to America’s toughest problems?
And who put the call to Mr. Putin on his schedule in the first place?
Let’s pause here to say that some politicians have been politicians for too long, and in the wrong way, if they think chiding a foreign dictator about democracy over the phone somehow advances U.S. interests. It is only done for U.S. domestic political consumption. Let’s stop lying to ourselves about this.
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