Trump’s first remarks about Navalny compare Russian’s death to his legal situation

Former President Trump compared the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to his legal problems Monday, saying it had made him “more aware” of what is happening in this country.

The remarks about Navalny are Trump’s first since the 47-year-old’s death in prison, which President Biden has blamed on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump did not mention Putin in his remarks on Truth Social, and instead pivoted to a recitation of his complaints about prosecutors, judges and Democrats conspiring against him. On Friday, Trump was ordered to pay a $355 million payment as part of civil fraud trial decision.

“The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It is a slow, steady progression, with CROOKED, Radical Left Politicians, Prosecutors, and Judges leading us down a path to destruction. Open Borders, Rigged Elections, and Grossly Unfair Courtroom Decisions are DESTROYING AMERICA. WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE, A FAILING NATION!”

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Trump, the leading candidate to become the 2024 GOP presidential nominee, has often spoken warmly of Putin and expressed a desire to have a closer relationship with Russia. He has faced widespread criticism from Democrats for his rhetoric, as well as some Republicans who view him as cozying up with dictators such as Putin.

Trump previously cast doubt on the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment that Russia interfered with the 2016 election, and he recently suggested he would encourage Russia to attack NATO allies who were not contributing enough to defense spending.

Navalny was serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism, and in December was moved from a different prison to the highest-security level facility in the country near the Arctic Circle. The “special regime” penal colony prison in the town of Kharp, which is about 1,200 miles northeast of Moscow, is in a remote area known for its severe winters.

Navalny has been imprisoned since January 2021, when he returned to Russia after recovering from a poisoning that he blamed on Putin, who has denied trying to kill Navalny with a nerve agent.

Trump is facing 91 felony charges across four different investigations. He was indicted in New York City over an alleged hush money scheme to keep an affair quiet during the 2016 campaign. He was charged in Washington, D.C., for his efforts to subvert the 2020 election. He was indicted in Georgia for attempting to overturn the state’s 2020 election results. And he was charged in Florida over his handling of classified documents upon leaving office and refusal to return them.

Trump’s social media post on Monday drew backlash from some corners, including from Nikki Haley, his former ambassador to the United Nations and his lone rival in the GOP primary.

“Donald Trump could have condemned Vladimir Putin for being a murderous thug,” Haley said in a statement. “Trump could have praised Navalny’s courage. Instead, he stole a page from liberals’ playbook, denouncing America and comparing our country to Russia.”

Updated at 11:28 a.m.