President Trump threw the American “people and country under the bus” during his press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a Fox News host.
“No negotiation is worth throwing your own people and country under the bus,” anchor Abby Hunstman tweeted Monday morning.
Trump’s comments during the joint press conference with Putin drew bipartisan rebukes, particularly after he emphasized “we’re all to blame” for tension between the United States and Russia rather than criticize Putin for regional aggression or the 2016 election interference. Huntsman’s reproof is all the more pointed because her father Jon Huntsman is U.S. ambassador to Russia.
“What’s important … is that we look towards this November and make sure we have the kind of dialogue, which we will begin tomorrow with the Russians,” the ambassador said on “Fox News Sunday. ”
“To put them on notice, as we have already in our meetings at a diplomatic level. That’s why tomorrow’s session is going to be important. November is looming and we have to make sure we can navigate this relationship through the months ahead if we’re ever going to get around to arms control, Syria, DPRK, Ukraine, and bilateral.”
Trump declined to affirm the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment that Russian military intelligence officials stole emails from the Democratic Party and released them during the 2016 elections.
“All I can do is ask the question,” he said. “My people came to me, Dan Coats came to me and some others, they said they think it’s Russia. I have President Putin; he just said it’s not Russia. I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be … I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.”
Trump was also avoided issuing a direct condemnation of any other Russian activity when a reporter asked if he holds “Russia accountable for anything in particular.”
“I hold both countries responsible,” the president replied. “I think that the United States has been foolish. I think we’ve all been foolish … But I do feel that we have both made some mistakes. I think that the — the probe is a disaster for our country.”
Huntsman was one of Trump’s most popular diplomatic nominees, receiving a warm welcome from Senate Democrats and Republicans alike. He orchestrated a meeting of Republican senators and Russian lawmakers in Moscow over the July 4 holiday, as part of an effort to set the stage for the Trump-Putin summit.
“There is a total disconnect on their part, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, told the Washington Examiner after returning from the trip. “They don’t understand why their election interference has been blown up into such an issue. They don’t really have a clue, based on their perspective, of why the American public so supports punishing sanctions against them because of the election interference.”
[Also read: CNN’s Anderson Cooper slams Trump’s performance in front of Putin as ‘disgraceful’]
