Top Dem: Russian diplomats’ expulsion makes Trump’s response to attack in the US ‘more bizarre’

The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday said the Trump administration’s response to the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain makes the president’s reaction to Russia’s election interference “even more bizarre.”

“This strong response to the attack in the UK makes even more bizarre the administration’s weak response to Russia’s ongoing attack right here in the United States,” Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.

{mosads}“President Trump hasn’t done nearly enough to respond to Russia’s attack on American democracy, or to prevent it from happening again. Instead, the President praises [Russian President Vladimir] Putin at every turn. It’s good that the United States is standing with our ally in this matter. But we also need the Trump Administration to stand up for our own democracy.” 

Engel commended the Trump administration’s announcement that it would expel dozens of Russian diplomats in response to the poisoning, saying it was “the right thing to do.”

“These actions, taken together, are a welcome demonstration of Western unity and solidarity, and I hope in the future we will see more joint efforts to push back against Russian aggression,” said Engel.

Moscow has denied involvement in the poisoning of the former Russian spy, but the United States and the United Kingdom have both placed the blame on Russia.

The Trump administration said Monday it would expel the Russian diplomats and close down the Russian consulate in Seattle as a retaliatory measure for the poisoning.