Sen. Rand Paul said Sunday that President Trump should not focus on 2016 election interference during talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the U.S. also intervenes in foreign elections.
“We all do it. What we need to do is make sure our electoral process is protected,” the Kentucky Republican said on CNN’s “State of the Union” ahead of Trump’s Monday meeting with Putin in Finland.
“They’re not going to admit it in the same way we’re not going to admit we were involved in the Ukrainian elections or the Russian elections,” he said.
[Russia: Mueller trying to sabotage Trump-Putin summit]
Paul pointed to research from Dov Levin of Carnegie Mellon University documenting 81 instances of U.S. government meddling in foreign elections between 1946 and 2000.
“It’s not morally equivalent, but I think in their mind it is,” Paul said, adding later: “We waste time saying ‘Putin needs to admit this and apologize’.”
Paul said that he doesn’t think Trump should ask Putin to extradite 12 Russians indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller last week in relation to the 2016 hacking and release of Democratic emails.
“I don’t think Russia is sending anyone back over here for trial, the same way we wouldn’t send anyone over there for trial,” he said.
