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| Trump touts Putin speaking out against his impeachment | Trump touts Putin speaking out against his impeachment |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Late Friday night, minutes before deplaning in Florida for the holidays, President Trump retweeted a link to an article in which Russian President Vladimir Putin defended him against impeachment. | Late Friday night, minutes before deplaning in Florida for the holidays, President Trump retweeted a link to an article in which Russian President Vladimir Putin defended him against impeachment. |
| “A total Witch Hunt!” the president tweeted at 10:30 p.m., as he shared a 36-hour-old Associated Press tweet that read: “BREAKING: Russian President Vladimir Putin says U.S. President Donald Trump’s impeachment is far-fetched and predicts the U.S. Senate will reject it.” | “A total Witch Hunt!” the president tweeted at 10:30 p.m., as he shared a 36-hour-old Associated Press tweet that read: “BREAKING: Russian President Vladimir Putin says U.S. President Donald Trump’s impeachment is far-fetched and predicts the U.S. Senate will reject it.” |
| Trump’s boasting of Putin’s support comes a day after The Washington Post reported that White House advisers feared Trump’s belief that Ukraine, not Russia, was responsible for interfering with the 2016 election was spurred by conversations Trump had with Putin. | |
| Former White House officials say they feared Putin influenced the president’s views on Ukraine and 2016 campaign | Former White House officials say they feared Putin influenced the president’s views on Ukraine and 2016 campaign |
| Trump’s critics responded to the tweet, expressing exasperation more than incredulity. | |
| “At the end of the day, it’s always Putin First,” wrote conservative commentator and “Never Trumper” Bill Kristol. | “At the end of the day, it’s always Putin First,” wrote conservative commentator and “Never Trumper” Bill Kristol. |
| “Trump wants us to know that Putin has his back. We know,” tweeted Eric Columbus, a former Justice Department appointee in the Obama administration. | “Trump wants us to know that Putin has his back. We know,” tweeted Eric Columbus, a former Justice Department appointee in the Obama administration. |
| “Putin is a dictator who jails opponents, kills opponents, invades neighbors, interferes in democracies’ elections, etc. I don’t think an American president should be buddying with him. I wonder if Trump defenders are ever (secretly) embarrassed by this stuff. I hope so,” wrote Jay Nordlinger, a senior editor at the right-leaning National Review. | “Putin is a dictator who jails opponents, kills opponents, invades neighbors, interferes in democracies’ elections, etc. I don’t think an American president should be buddying with him. I wonder if Trump defenders are ever (secretly) embarrassed by this stuff. I hope so,” wrote Jay Nordlinger, a senior editor at the right-leaning National Review. |
| At his annual end-of-the-year news conference on Thursday, Putin was asked about Trump’s impeachment. He called the charges “completely fabricated reasons.” | At his annual end-of-the-year news conference on Thursday, Putin was asked about Trump’s impeachment. He called the charges “completely fabricated reasons.” |
| Putin stays in Trump’s corner on impeachment | Putin stays in Trump’s corner on impeachment |
| That evening, Russian state media, which follows Putin’s lead, also threw its support behind Trump. | That evening, Russian state media, which follows Putin’s lead, also threw its support behind Trump. |
| Popular Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Soloviev gave an impassioned defense of Trump on his evening show, raising his voice several times in a discussion with Atlantic Council expert Ariel Cohen. | Popular Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Soloviev gave an impassioned defense of Trump on his evening show, raising his voice several times in a discussion with Atlantic Council expert Ariel Cohen. |
| “I can’t understand for what reason [Democrats] don’t like Trump,” Soloviev said. | “I can’t understand for what reason [Democrats] don’t like Trump,” Soloviev said. |
| Days earlier, on his two-hour Sunday night program, anchor Dmitry Kiselyov opined about how Hollywood has joined the Democrats in being against Trump, portraying him as “always on the dark side.” | Days earlier, on his two-hour Sunday night program, anchor Dmitry Kiselyov opined about how Hollywood has joined the Democrats in being against Trump, portraying him as “always on the dark side.” |
| And the state-sponsored Rossiya-1 news channel, which airs Soloviev’s show, recently broadcast segments of Rudolph W. Giuliani’s interview with right-wing channel One America News, in which the president’s personal attorney promoted debunked conspiracy theories about Ukrainian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. | |
| Khurshudyan reported from Moscow. | Khurshudyan reported from Moscow. |