Republicans unleashed their outrage at Trump's 'disgraceful' performance at Helsinki summit - here's what they had to say
Sen. John McCain
In a scathing rebuke, Sen. John McCain of Arizona called Trump's press conference "one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory."
"The damage inflicted by President Trump's naiveté, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate," McCain said. "But it is clear that the summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake."
"President Trump proved not only unable, but unwilling to stand up to Putin."
House Speaker Paul Ryan
Paul Ryan of Wisconsin agreed with the US intelligence assessment and said "there is no question that Russia interfered in our election and continues attempts to undermine democracy here and around the world."
"There is no moral equivalence between the United States and Russia, which remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals," Ryan added. "The United States must be focused on holding Russia accountable and putting an end to its vile attacks on democracy."
Sen. Lindsey Graham
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, expressed disappointment in Trump's failure to hold the Kremlin accountable.
"Missed opportunity by President Trump to firmly hold Russia accountable for 2016 meddling and deliver a strong warning regarding future elections," Graham said on Twitter. "This answer by President Trump will be seen by Russia as a sign of weakness and create far more problems than it solves."
Sen. Susan Collins
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine blistered at Trump's remarks: "It's certainly not helpful for the President to express doubt about the conclusions of his own team," Collins said to reporters, according to CNN.
"He has assembled a first-rate intelligence team handled by Dan Coats and I would hope that he would take their analysis over the predictable denials of President Putin."
Sen. Bob Corker
Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee said Putin made the US look like a "pushover."
"When he had the opportunity to defend our intelligence agencies who work for him, I was very disappointed and saddened with the equivalency that he gave between them and what Putin was saying," Corker said on CNN.
He reportedly added that he "did not think this was a good moment for our country."
Sen. Jeff Flake
Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, who has frequently criticized Trump's policies, called Trump's comments "shameful."
"I never thought I would see the day when our American President would stand on the stage with the Russian President and place blame on the United States for Russian aggression," Flake said on Twitter.
Rep. Trey Gowdy
Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina said in a statement that Russia "attempted to undermine the fundamentals of our democracy, impugn the reliability of the 2016 election, and sow the seeds of discord among Americans."
Gowdy also expressed hope that the White House "will be able to communicate to the President it is possible to conclude Russia interfered with our election in 2016 without delegitimizing his electoral success."
Sen. Ben Sasse
Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska alleged that Trump's comparison between Russia and the US was "bizarre and flat-out wrong."
"The United States is not to blame," Sasse said in a statement. "America wants a good relationship with the Russian people but Vladimir Putin and his thugs are responsible for Soviet-style aggression. When the President plays these moral equivalence games, he gives Putin a propaganda win he desperately needs."
Sen. Orrin Hatch
Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah sided with the conclusion drawn from US intelligence officials: "Our nation's top intelligence agencies all agree on that point," he said in a statement.
"From the President on down, we must do everything in our power to protect our democracy by securing future elections from foreign influence and interference, regardless of what Vladimir Putin or any other Russian operative says."
Sen. Tim Scott
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina conveyed his disappointment on Twitter: "The President's summit in Helsinki today should have been an attempt at confronting Russian aggression, hacking, and election interference," Scott said.
"Russia is not a friend or ally. As Americans, we stand up for our interests and values abroad; but I fear today was a step backwards."
Rep. Liz Cheney
Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming said on Twitter that Russia posed "a grave threat to our national security," and that she was "deeply troubled by President Trump’s defense of Putin against the intelligence agencies."
Rep. Ron DeSantis
Rep. Ron DeSantis of Florida agreed with the US intelligence assessment and said "the Intel report and the indictment are credible in terms of assigning blame, culpability to Russia," but stopped short of criticizing Trump.
"And I think that's what bugs him about the issue, is that it's used to try to delegitimize his election victory," DeSantis said, referring to Trump's 2016 win.
Rep. Darrell Issa
Although Rep. Darrell Issa of California called Putin "an evil man who has killed many people in his own country" on CNN, he also questioned the methods of US intelligence agencies that concluded Russia interfered with the election.
"Did we use spy technique in order to find out?" Issa asked. "Did we hack them in order to find out who they were? So, I think for the president to cast doubt is appropriate."
Sen. Rand Paul
As one of the few Republicans who publicly approved of Trump's remarks, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky took a stand and said he was "absolutely" with the president.
"I think engagement with our adversaries, conversations with our adversaries, is a good idea," Paul said during an interview on CNN.
"I think there is a bit of Trump-derangement syndrome," Paul said. "I think there are people who hate the president so much that this could've easily been President Obama early in his first administration setting the reset button and trying to have better relations with Russia."
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of California, an ardent supporter of Russia's policies, justified Trump's remarks by telling Bloomberg that the US meddles with elections "at a much higher rate."
"They found it in their interest to meddle in our elections," Rohrabacher said. "But what the point is — we meddle in their elections. We meddle all over the world at a much higher rate than what Moscow does. And maybe it's all wrong, but the fact is we helped overthrow the government of Ukraine."
Source: Bloomberg
Vice President Mike Pence
Vice President Mike Pence downplayed concerns and appeared to support Trump's comments: "What the world saw, what the American people saw, is that President Donald Trump will always put the prosperity and security of America first."
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