In the wake of 12 indictments of Russians on charges that they hacked Democratic Party servers during the 2016 election, President Donald Trump should only meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin under "one circumstance only," and that's to deliver a message that "we know what you did," Rep. Jim Himes said Saturday morning.
"I think he should do it under one circumstance and one circumstance only, which is to deliver a very clear message that we know what you did," the Connecticut Democrat told CNN, adding that Trump should tell Putin that he is "not leaving this room until you make a commitment not to do this again to us or to our allies."
If that commitment doesn't come, Himes continued, Trump should tell Putin that he will be in a "world of pain." However, the lawmaker said, the president won't say any of that, so "I don't think he should be meeting with Vladimir Putin."
Himes also told CNN Saturday that it's "mind-boggling" that Trump's attorney, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Friday continued his call for special counsel Robert Mueller to drop his investigation.
Giuliani Friday called the indictments that were handed down from Mueller's team "good news for all Americans," but said Mueller should drop the probe and declare Trump is "completely innocent."
"Here we have specific evidence ... where are the statements of condemnation on that attack?" Himes asked. "Rudy Giuliani and my Republican colleagues are completely uninterested in the nature of the attack perpetrated on our democracy. All they are interested in is defending the president."
The indictments do not specifically mention collusion, but Himes said that doesn't mean Mueller isn't pursuing further leads or evidence.
"I said it on Twitter, when a foreign attack on our country is being revealed, you say, let's stop this investigation, that points in the direction of treason and it should stop," said Himes.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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