By Mark Moore, March 21, 2018

P​resident Trump’s congratulatory call to Vladimir Putin for winning a fourth presidential term brought about rare bipartisan accord among lawmakers as both Democrats and Republicans​ blasted him for reaching out despite accusations of rampant fraud in the Russian election.

Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi wondered on Twitter why it took Trump fewer than 48 hours to call Putin, “Yet after 14 months, he still refuses to take any concrete steps to prevent foreign interference in the 2018 elections.​”​
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Sen. James Lankford, a Republican from Oklahoma, said he was “caught off guard” by Trump’s call to the Russian leader​, and suggested the commander-in-chief should have raised other issues, like election security and human rights.

“Presidents can say what presidents choose to say,” Lankford said on “CBS This Morning” on Wednesday​.​ “​B​ut they also need to understand they carry the weight of the entire United States​.​ ​S​o I’d hope that every president is careful in what they say, including this one.”

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff took a similar tack in his criticism of Trump’s conversation with Putin, who won with 77 percent of the vote in an election rife with allegations of ballot stuffing and voter coercion.
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“​The President calls Putin ​-​ not to condemn him for using a nerve agent in Britain or interfering in our election ​-​ but to congratulate him on winning an election in which his top opponent was prohibited from running​,” Schiff, of California, wrote on Twitter. “No way to lead the free world.​”​

T​rump announced the call during a photo op in the Oval Office Tuesday with ​Saudi Crown Prince Monhammed bin Salman and said the two leaders would meet “in the not-too-distant future” to discuss the arms race and various other issues.

The congratulations happened despite members of Trump’s national security staff advising him in writing: “DO NOT CONGRATULATE.”​

The White House defended Trump later Tuesday.

“It’s important for us to have a dialogue with Russia so that we can focus on some areas of shared interest​,” said Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Asked whether Russia conducted a free and fair election, she said the US can’t “dictate” what happens in elections in other countries.

“What we do know is that Putin has been elected in their country, and that’s not something that we can dictate to them how they operate,” she said. ​

Sen. Jeff Flake, a noted Republican critic of Trump, disputed Sanders’ remarks.

“No,” the Arizona lawmaker said. “We certainly don’t dictate, but we certainly encourage and nudge and prod and try to spread democracy around there.”

Calling the Russian strongman to gain cooperation on issues is one thing, Flake told The Weekly Standard, but applauding his victory “would have been like me calling Fidel Castro and saying, ‘Congratulations on your election victory.”

GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham said it was an opportunity lost to set the record straight with Putin on his role in the nerve gas poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter earlier this month in England.

“Every time you talk with Putin and you give him a pass, that emboldens him,” he said. “So our friends in Britain are probably disappointed the president didn’t push back.”

Sen. John McCain, a Russian hawk, kick-started the criticism of Trump soon after the president announced the call on Tuesday.

“An American president does not lead the Free World by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections,” McCain wrote on Twitter. “And by doing so with Vladimir Putin, President Trump insulted every Russian citizen who was denied the right to vote in a free and fair election.”

https://nypost.com/2018/03/21/trump-slam...tulating-putin/

Guess what happened in 2012?




Obama congratulates Putin for election “win”

By Josh Rogin | March 9, 2012, 7:52 PM

The Russian people and international observers may not see last Sunday’s presidential election in Russia as legitimate, but President Barack Obama has now officially endorsed the return of Russian past and future President Vladimir Putin. "President Obama called Russian President-elect and Prime Minister Putin to congratulate him on his recent victory in the Russian Presidential ...

The Russian people and international observers may not see last Sunday’s presidential election in Russia as legitimate, but President Barack Obama has now officially endorsed the return of Russian past and future President Vladimir Putin.

"President Obama called Russian President-elect and Prime Minister Putin to congratulate him on his recent victory in the Russian Presidential election," the White House said in a late Friday afternoon statement (read: news dump) about the Friday morning phone call between the two leaders.

"President Obama highlighted achievements in U.S.-Russia relations over the past three years with President Medvedev, including cooperation on Afghanistan, the conclusion and ratification of the START agreement, Russia’s recent invitation to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) and cooperation on Iran," the statement read. "President Obama and President-Elect Putin agreed that the successful reset in relations should be built upon during the coming years."

Obama told Putin he looked forward to Putin’s May visit to Camp David for the G-8 summit and the two talked about how they could benefit economically from Russia’s joining the WTO, the statement explained.

That could be a reference to administration efforts to get Congress to repeal the 1974 Jackson-Vanik law that prevents the U.S. from giving Russia permanent normal trade status. Some in Congress are resisting that because of Russia’s deteriorating record on democracy, rule of law, and human rights.

At the end of the statement, the White House mentioned the crisis in Syria, in which the Russian government is arming the brutal regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

"President Obama and President-Elect Putin agreed to continue discussions on areas where the United States and Russia have differed, including Syria and missile defense," the statement read. "President Obama and President-Elect Putin agreed to continue their efforts to find common ground and remove obstacles to better relations."

snip

http://foreignpolicy.com/2012/03/09/obam...r-election-win/

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