Haley on Putin after death of Navalny: ‘This is what he always does’

Nikki Haley pinned the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, warning that soft words against Russia could encourage Russian aggression.

Navalny’s death in a Russian prison was announced Friday and quickly denounced by Putin critics and the Biden administration as a likely political assassination. 

“When you look at what Putin has done, we have to remember, Russia is not our friend. If Putin’s mouth is open, he is lying,” she said Sunday at a Fox News town hall moderated by John Roberts. “Putin knows exactly what he did with Navalny. You look at that situation, this is what he always does. He murders his political opponents. He arrests American journalists and holds them hostage, and he has made no bones about the fact that he wants to destroy America.”

Russian officials told Navalny’s family that he died of “sudden death syndrome.” Nobody has been able to see Navalny’s body or perform an independent investigation into his death.

Haley also criticized GOP rival former President Trump for his previous comments praising Putin and recent remarks saying he would “encourage” Russia to go after NATO allies that don’t pay their share.

The former South Carolina governor called the NATO comments “damaging” and called on Trump to be harder on Russia.

“The best thing we can do with Russia is let them know we’re on to them, and make sure that they know we’ll hold them to account on anything they do,” she said. “And that includes hurting our allies.”

“Russia is actually very intimidated by NATO. China’s intimidated by NATO,” she continued. “But the one thing we don’t do is we don’t leave our brothers and sisters who make us strong. We don’t separate ourselves from our friends in the name of trying to appease an enemy.”

Haley said that Trump’s message encouraging NATO allies to increase their funding of the organization was the right thing to do, but the “wrong way” to do it.

“We should make sure we tell our partners it’s in their best interests and in the alliance’s best interest to pull their own weight,” she said. “And we should make them do that, but there’s a way to do it the right way, and there’s a way to do it the wrong way and the way Trump did it.”

Haley and Trump are set to face off in the South Carolina presidential primary on Saturday. Trump holds a 32-point lead in Palmetto State polls, according to a polling average maintained by The Hill/Decision Desk HQ.