Dem senator: We need other Americans in the room with Trump, Putin

Democratic Sen. Mark Warner (Va.) on Sunday voiced concerns for an upcoming summit between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying other Americans need to be in the room.

Warner, the Senate Intelligence Committee’s top Democrat, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he would be “stunned” if Trump doesn’t call out Putin’s or Russia’s “bad behavior” at Monday’s meeting between the two leaders.

But Warner said he fears Putin could take advantage of Trump in a one-on-one sit-down.

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“Frankly, one of the things I’m most worried about is we need to have other Americans in the room,” Warner told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “Vladimir Putin is a trained KGB agent, he may come in with maps of Syria, maps of Ukraine. And frankly, I think he’ll take advantage of this president whom we know doesn’t do much prep work before these meetings.”

“We need other individuals from his administration in the room so we know at least someone will press the Russians on making sure they don’t interfere in future U.S. elections,” he added.

Warner’s comments come a little over a month after Trump said he felt “very well prepared” for a sit-down with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June. 

“I don’t think I have to prepare very much. It’s about attitude. It’s about willingness to get things done,” Trump said during a June meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Trump is expected to meet with Putin on Monday in Helsinki, where he said he may ask the Russian leader about extraditing 12 Russian agents who were charged on Friday in the 2016 hacking of the Democratic National Committee and dispersing documents meant to undercut Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s campaign. 

“I hadn’t thought of that. But I certainly I’ll be asking about it. But again, this was during the Obama administration. They were doing whatever it was during the Obama administration,” Trump said in a CBS News interview broadcast early Sunday.

Trump has promised to press Putin on election meddling in the 2016 presidential race, but said there is little he can do to stop future interference. 

“I don’t think you’ll have any ‘Gee, I did it, I did it, you got me.’ There won’t be a Perry Mason here,” Trump said during an international press conference on Friday with British Prime Minister Theresa May.