© Greg Nash
GOP Sen. Ben Sasse
Ben SasseTrump at CPAC foments 2022 GOP primary wars Media circles wagons for conspiracy theorist Neera Tanden Republicans see Becerra as next target in confirmation wars MORE (Neb.) blasted President Trump
Donald TrumpNoem touts South Dakota coronavirus response, knocks lockdowns in CPAC speech On The Trail: Cuomo and Newsom — a story of two embattled governors McCarthy: 'I would bet my house' GOP takes back lower chamber in 2022 MORE's handling of a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying Monday that every senator should be "disgusted" by the Finland summit.
"The problem that needed to be named today was Vladimir Putin. Instead, our president decided to advance a fake moral equivalency that plays right into ... Vladimir Putin's bloody hands. Everyone in this body should be disgusted by what happened in Helsinki," Sasse said from the Senate floor.
He added that Monday "was a terrible day for the American brand, for the American people and our allies."
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Trump roiled Washington on Monday after he refused to denounce Russia's meddling in the 2016 election — noting Putin strongly denied interfering — and said the United States was partly to blame for the current low point in U.S.-Moscow relations.
His rhetoric sparked immediate backlash from former intelligence officials, as well as both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill who quickly stood behind the intelligence community's report that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer
Chuck SchumerThe bizarre back story of the filibuster Hillicon Valley: Biden signs order on chips | Hearing on media misinformation | Facebook's deal with Australia | CIA nominee on SolarWinds House Rules release new text of COVID-19 relief bill MORE (D-N.Y.) is urging Congress to pass new sanctions on Russia, while GOP Sen. Jeff Flake
Jeffrey (Jeff) Lane FlakeFormer GOP lawmaker: Republican Party 'engulfed in lies and fear' Grassley to vote against Tanden nomination Klain on Manchin's objection to Neera Tanden: He 'doesn't answer to us at the White House' MORE (Ariz.) is planning to introduce a resolution pushing back on Trump's rhetoric.
Chuck SchumerThe bizarre back story of the filibuster Hillicon Valley: Biden signs order on chips | Hearing on media misinformation | Facebook's deal with Australia | CIA nominee on SolarWinds House Rules release new text of COVID-19 relief bill MORE (D-N.Y.) is urging Congress to pass new sanctions on Russia, while GOP Sen. Jeff FlakeJeffrey (Jeff) Lane FlakeFormer GOP lawmaker: Republican Party 'engulfed in lies and fear' Grassley to vote against Tanden nomination Klain on Manchin's objection to Neera Tanden: He 'doesn't answer to us at the White House' MORE (Ariz.) is planning to introduce a resolution pushing back on Trump's rhetoric. Sasse, who earlier called Trump's rhetoric "bizarre," said, in addition to backing away from "principled American leadership," Trump had "walked away from basic reality."
"Vladimir Putin is trying to create mistrust in this country. And today the president of the United States decided to let Vladimir Putin off the hook and in so doing he creates an incentive for Putin to ratchet up his campaigns of misinformation," he said.
