Sanders: Trump not speaking out against Russia 'is a horror show'

Sen. Bernie SandersBernard (Bernie) SandersOn The Money: House, Senate strike deal on partial spending package | House GOP releases 'tax cuts 2.0' | Trump hits Obama over 'magic wand' remarks Hillicon Valley: Google takes heat from Trump, Congress | US cracking down on foreign hackers | Sanders steps up Amazon attack | Analysts predict iPhone prices would rise if production moved to US Sanders makes no endorsement in Nixon-Cuomo race MORE (I-Vt.) on Sunday blasted President TrumpDonald John TrumpOakland Raiders's Marshawn Lynch sits during national anthem, then scores touchdown Trump declares state of emergency in Carolinas ahead of Hurricane Florence Ex-NFL player tears into Nike: Kaepernick ad ‘like 9/11 and Pearl Harbor’ MORE for not taking action to protect the U.S. from Russian meddling in future elections, saying "that we don’t have a president speaking out on this issue is a horror show."

His comments follow an indictment released Friday by special counsel Robert MuellerRobert Swan MuellerSasse: US should applaud choice of Mueller to lead Russia probe MORE outlining multiple actors who played a role in extensive Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 election. 

"We have got to bring Democrats and Republicans together despite the president to go forward to protect the integrity of American democracy,” Sanders said on NBC's “Meet The Press.”

The Department of Justice announced charges against 13 Russian nationals and three Russian organizations for allegedly attempting to interfere in the 2016 election. The indictment alleges the goal of the Russians was to support then-candidate Donald Trump, and damage his opponent, Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonTrump faces buzzsaw in ‘year of the woman’ Pollster: Rasmussen Research has a pro-GOP bias Top Gallup editor: Faulty polling led to inaccurate 2016 data models MORE.

Following the indictment, Trump has sent roughly a dozen tweets about the Russia investigation, claiming his campaign did not collude with Russia and blaming the Obama administration for not doing more. He also said the indictment vindicated him and his campaign from allegations of collusion with Moscow.

Sanders said Sunday that former President Obama should have done more to push back against Russian interference in 2016, but acknowledged Obama was in a difficult position. 

“The main point to be understood is that what everyone understands, except Donald Trump, is that this was not just the 2016 campaign. They intend to do this in 2018,” Sanders said.

“And I think one of the weirdest things in modern American history is you have every intelligence agency, you have the Mueller report, you have Trump’s own administration saying [the Russians] want to sabotage the 2018 campaign. Everybody knows this, except the president of the United States,” he continued.