President Trump thanked Sen. Rand Paul Tuesday for defending his performance at the Helsinki summit, after Mr. Paul praised Mr. Trump for reaching out to Russia.
The president tweeted Mr. Paul’s comments from a Tuesday interview on CBS’ “This Morning,” where the Kentucky senator justified Mr. Trump’s criticism of the Russia investigation.
Thank you @RandPaul, you really get it! “The President has gone through a year and a half of totally partisan investigations - what’s he supposed think?”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 17, 2018
Mr. Paul noted that the president “was sensitive” to the partisan “onslaught” of collusion allegations, but that it was separate from the “legitimate” investigation into Russian hacking.
The Republican senator also said it was important to have ongoing communication with Russia, and the president should be “lauded” for meeting with enemies to prevent “WWIII.”
“I think it was a good thing that President Trump met with President Putin, and I think it’s a mistake for people to turn this into a partisan escapade,” Mr. Paul said.
Mr. Trump is facing increasing bipartisan backlash over his comments favoring Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims of denial over his own U.S. intelligence regarding meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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