Former Vice President Joe Biden told supporters at an Iowa fundraiser he has spent a “great deal of time” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Following a campaign stop at the Polk County Steak Fry on Saturday, Biden addressed a group of about 40 people at the Van Meter, Iowa, residence of philanthropists Susan and Bill Knapp, according to a campaign pool report.
Guests included former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, former state Sen. Jeff Danielson, Polk County Treasurer Mary Maloney, and Democratic Delaware Sen. Chris Coons.
Biden accused Trump of abusing power and embracing Vladimir Putin, whom Biden called “a kleptomaniac.”
“This man’s abused power. Look what he’s done. His embrace of Vladimir Putin, who I know. I’ve spent as much time — I shouldn’t say this because I’m not sure how much time he’s spent with him — but I’ve spent a great deal of time with Putin,” Biden said.
During a previous fundraiser in New York earlier in the month, Biden claimed he once told the Russian president that he has no “soul.”
“I don’t think you have a soul [I said to him] and his response was, ‘Well, we understand each other,’” Biden recalled of the moment.
At the same New York fundraiser, Biden suggested that to ensure that Putin doesn’t meddle in future American elections, “We have to get every state in the union to move toward having paper ballots. We need the backup.”
