‘I Always Knew He Was Very Smart!’
In yet another instance of Donald Trump siding with Vladimir Putin, the President-elect has just posted a tweet praising the Russian president for not responding in kind to President Barack Obama’s sanctions. “Great move on delay (by V. Putin),” Trump tweeted. “I always knew he was very smart!”
The U.S. imposed extensive sanctions against Russia on Thursday, which include ordering 35 Russian diplomats and operatives out of the country within 72 hours, and the shuttering of two huge Russian government owned spy compounds in New York City and Maryland.
Many, including the Russian Foreign Minister, had expected Putin to respond in kind, but Friday morning Putin’s spokesperson announced he would not, because “in three weeks Donald Trump will be the new head of state.â€Â
UPDATE I: 3:07 PM EST –
Trump has “pinned” the above tweet to the top of his Twitter page, meaning it will be the first tweet anyone sees there until he unpins it. That’s certainly making a statement. To be clear, Trump has just literally taken sides, against our intelligence agencies, against our democracy, and against our constitution by praising Putin.
UPDATE II: 3:18 PM EST –
A few responses via Twitter:
UPDATE III: 3:45 PM EST –
More.
Former GOP/independent presidential candidate and former CIA operative:
CNN Senior White House Correspondent:
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