Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin "is winning" amid the partisan rancor over Moscow's hacking in the presidential election.
"President Trump talks about winning?" the former Republican congressman and governor from Pennsylvania, asked The Hill in an interview. "Right now, Putin is winning.
"The rhetoric needs to be toned down."
Ridge, 71, was the nation's first Homeland Security secretary after the agency was created in 2002.
He told the Hill that all the squabbling between Republicans and Democrats plays right into the hands of Putin.
"My friends in the intelligence community tell me that as Vladimir Putin, his forte was destabilization — let's create chaos, let's create uncertainty, let's destabilize the political environment.
"They have done a wonderful job," he said. "If that was their goal, they have done it.
"We see evidence every day. Instead of focusing in on the actor, we're pointing accusatory fingers at each other about politics.
"We are the victim of this process to delegitimize our self-governance."
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.