Former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, R-N.Y., on Tuesday chastised President Donald Trump for implying Vladimir Putin will be easier to deal with than this week's NATO summit and visit to the United Kingdom, warning the commander in chief not to forget the Russian president is a "brutal dictator" and "horrific person."
And he urged Trump to nail down a promise from Putin, who he will meet next week, that Russia will not meddle in the midterm elections.
Speaking with reporters before leaving for the NATO summit in Brussels, Trump said: "I have NATO. I have the U.K., which is in somewhat turmoil. And I have Putin. Frankly, Putin may be the easiest of them all. Who would think?"
That did not sit well with D'Amato, who appeared Tuesday on Newsmax TV's "America Talks Live."
"You don't say that Putin might be better or dealing with him might be better," D'Amato told hosts Miranda Khan, John Cardillo, and Gina Loudon.
"Putin is one tough, horrific person. He is a brutal dictator, make no mistake about that. He still runs the Russian country like the KGB. The president makes a mistake when he almost glorifies him. He should not do that."
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D'Amato, who served in the Senate from 1981-1999, urged Trump to demand assurances from Putin that Russia will not meddle in future U.S. elections, which American intelligence says he did during the 2016 presidential race.
"I'd like to see there be some progress and not just take Putin's word that they didn't try to interfere with the election, because they did," D'Amato said.
"Even the Republicans in Congress, the Senate, have indicated, yes, they found evidence that clearly, clearly demonstrates that Russia was meddling. So, the president's got to get an ironclad commitment from Putin that he will not support any meddling from Russia or from any of its citizens . . ."
D'Amato said Trump must let Putin know there will be severe economic consequences if Russia tampers.
"'If you want to play games with us like that, we will deal with you accordingly': You've got to let him know that," D'Amato said. "We're afraid to talk that way because it's going to offend his sensitivity. Too bad."
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