President Trump’s refusal Monday to denounce Russian President Vladimir Putin for interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign sparked pointed criticism from Republican leaders, including several of Trump’s legislative allies who warned that his actions could ultimately hurt national security interests.
At a joint news conference with Putin in Helsinki, Trump spoke admiringly of Putin’s denials and said he did not “see any reason why” Russia would be at fault for election-year hacking, effectively siding with the Russian leader over the assessment of the U.S. intelligence community.
Within hours of the event’s conclusion, Republicans had joined Democrats in criticizing the president’s comments. Many more in the president’s party reasserted the findings of Russian culpability, distancing themselves from their leader.
