A Republican member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said Monday he would like to see President Donald Trump take a strong stance against Russian meddling in U.S. affairs — and then convey that to Russian President Vladimir Putin himself.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., was on CNN and was asked about Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's discussion with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov regarding Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
"Yeah, I think it's powerful. I wish the president would say that directly to Vladimir Putin," Kinzinger said. "I have said that a number of times.
"You know, I think one of the best things we can do to prevent Russian meddling is to expose it. [If] you see a story that's completely unrealistic that was originated from RT, it's probably going to be fake news in an attempt to change an election outcome."
Kinzinger's last remark was a reference to RT, a news organization backed by the Russian government.
"I think putting light on this is very important, but we have done a lot of things against the Russians when it comes to sanctions, lethal weapons to Ukraine, pushing back against them in Syria, and other things. Yes, I wish the president would directly mention that to Vladimir Putin, but to somehow say that now all of a sudden he's accepting Russian meddling I think is a bridge far."
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