Scarborough: Putin snubbing Tillerson ‘great’ for White House

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s snub of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is a “pretty smart PR stunt for both sides,” MSNBC host Joe Scarborough says.  

“If you’re Rex Tillerson, do you want a picture on the cover of The New York Times of you shaking your Order of Friendship buddy’s hands?” Scarborough asked rhetorically on “Morning Joe.” 

“No. This works out well for everybody.” 

{mosads}The Kremlin said on a conference call Monday that no meetings are scheduled on Putin’s itinerary “right now.” The U.S. last week bombed a Syrian airfield in response to a chemical attack attributed to Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces that killed dozens of civilians, including babies and children. 

Russia has been a staunch backer of Assad during Syria’s ongoing civil war, and Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that support would continue. 

“From listening to the way the administration is talking about Russia now, they’re going all in on a 180 of ‘We’re not friends with Russia,’ ” NBC political analyst Mark Halperin said.  

“Which is great for the administration,” responded Scarborough. 

“A week ago, you have little [Rep.] Devin Nunes [R-Calif.] going back and forth, going, ‘What do I say, what do I say about Russia, what do I say about Russia?’ and [press secretary] Sean Spicer getting killed,” he added. 

“Now, the Russians snub Tillerson — I mean, if I’m [President] Trump, I’m thinking these are good days.”

The FBI as well as House and Senate committees are investigating Russian interference in last year’s U.S. presidential election, as well as links between Trump’s team and the Kremlin.