Biden on Trump, Russia relationship: ‘What in the hell are we doing?’

Former Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday knocked the Trump administration for its relationship with Russia, criticizing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s decision to visit Russia before a NATO meeting.

“The notion that there’s still this romance with Putin … I’m told [Tillerson] has decided he’s going to go visit Putin before he goes to the NATO conference? What in the hell are we doing?” Biden told reporters at the Capitol.

On Monday, it was announced that Tillerson would not attend an April 5-6 meeting of NATO foreign ministers. He is instead staying in the U.S. for a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Tillerson will then travel to Russia for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

{mosads}Lawmakers from both parties have called for a thorough investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election after Russian-backed hackers were linked to a breach of the Democratic National Committee last year.

In December, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security released a joint report detailing how federal investigators linked the Russian government to hacks of Democratic Party organizations.

FBI Director James Comey on Monday confirmed that his bureau is investigating potential ties between Trump campaign officials and Russia.

Biden’s comments Wednesday came as he visited Washington to lead Democrats at a rally in support of ObamaCare, one day before the House is slated to vote on a bill to repeal and replace the law.

After the ObamaCare rally, Biden also commented on Trump’s accusations on Twitter earlier this month that Obama had his “wires tapped” at Trump Tower. Comey said Monday that the Department of Justice had no information to support Trump’s claim.

When asked if Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower, Biden reportedly answered jokingly: “Five or six times. Are you joking? Are you serious?”

Asked VP Biden if his admin wiretapped Trump Tower.

Biden: “Five or six times. Are you joking? Are you serious?”

— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) March 22, 2017