Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer didn’t like the way President Trump questioned Germany’s relationship with Russia even though they have been questioning Trump’s relationship with Russia for years.
Chip Somodevilla/Win McNamee/Getty Images
Democratic leadership thinks President Donald Trump’s comments calling Germany “a captive of Russia” are an “embarrassment” after years of Democrats saying the same things about President Trump.
Trump, in an exchange with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, questioned Germany over its fuel dependency with Russia.
“It’s very sad,” Trump said, “when Germany makes a massive oil and gas deal with Russia where you’re supposed to be guarding against Russia and Germany goes out and pays billions and billions of dollars a year to Russia.”
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N. Y.) called Trump’s remarks a “denigration of one of Americas most steadfast allies.” Schumer also criticized Trump for his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin:
THREAD: @realDonaldTrump ’s brazen insults & denigration of one of America’s most steadfast allies, Germany, is an embarrassment. His behavior this morning is another profoundly disturbing signal that the President is more loyal to President Putin than to our NATO allies.
— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) July 11,2018
If POTUS leaves Putin mtg w/out ironclad assurances & concrete steps toward a full cessation of Russian attacks on the US, this mtg will not only be a failure, it will be a grave step back for the future of intl order & global security. A successful mtg means real action, now.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 11,2018
So to recap, according to the Associated Press, Trump questioned Germany because it struck a billion-dollar gas and oil deal with Russia but refused to spend more on defense from foreign nations (including Russia), causing the United States to foot the bill.
Because of this, Democratic leaders believe Trump is helping Putin.
Giphy/ CBC
While this may be the most recent instance of Trump questioning Germany’s relationship with Russia, this is not the first time Democratic leadership has questioned Trump’s relationship with Russia:
Every American should wonder why President Trump goes to such great lengths to avoid criticizing President Putin.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) November 13,2017
It took President Trump less than 48 hours to congratulate Vladimir Putin on his election. Yet after 14 months, he still refuses to take any concrete steps to prevent foreign interference in the 2018 elections. #ProtectOurDemocracy
— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) March 20,2018
President Trump’s infatuation with Vladimir Putin is deeply troublesome. Americans deserve to know what’s behind it. https://t.co/FamsDNbI8W
— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) February 9,2017
Trump will meet with Putin next week to discuss, among other topics, election interference. Though Trump suggested he would not enjoy his NATO meetings, he was confident his meetings with Putin would be the “easiest of them all.”
Please note: This is a commentary piece. The views and opinions expressed within it are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the editorial opinion of IJR.
