House Speaker Paul Ryan on Thursday called Vladimir Putin “a menace,” and said he would not have made the friendly call to the Russian leader that President Trump made this week.
“Putin does not respect democracies,” Ryan, R-Wis., said when asked about Trump’s call congratulating Putin on his re-election, which most agree was rife with irregularities and likely voter fraud. “He’s trying to do everything he can to undermine democracies. Not just ours, but all of our allies.”
“I would not have kind words to say if I were to speak with him,” Ryan said.
Ryan joins other top leaders in the House and Senate who have made similar denouncements of presidential calls to Putin. But GOP leaders have refrained from directly criticizing Trump, who has defended the call.
“I don’t know the contents of that conversation,” Ryan said, referring to Trump’s call to Putin. “But my thoughts about Putin and Russia have been very clear.”
