Schiff: Trump should cancel meeting with Putin since he ‘lacks courage to confront him’

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Friday demanded President Trump cancel his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin because he lacks the “courage” to confront Putin over the latest indictments pointing to Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

“Latest indictment of Russian intelligence officers and Kremlin-directed hacking operation designed to help the Trump campaign adds to weight of evidence against Putin,” Schiff, the House Intelligence Committee ranking member, tweeted. “Since the President plainly lacks the courage — or the motive — to confront him, he should call off the meeting.” 

Latest indictment of Russian intelligence officers and Kremlin-directed hacking operation designed to help the Trump campaign adds to weight of evidence against Putin. Since the President plainly lacks the courage — or the motive — to confront him, he should call off the meeting.

— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) July 13, 2018

My full statement on the Special Counsel’s latest indictment of 12 Russian intelligence officers for hacking Clinton campaign officials, the DNC, and the DCCC. pic.twitter.com/NTfXtK3YCi

— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) July 13, 2018

Schiff’s comment came just hours after it was announced that special counsel Robert Mueller indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers in the 2016 hacking of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). All 12 of the defendants are said to be members of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency.

{mosads}

Schiff, in a separate tweet, attached a full statement on the indictments, saying that the “American people need and deserve a president who stands up to foreign interference and puts the interests of our country first.” 

The indictments come just days before Trump is scheduled to meet with Putin in Finland.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the meeting should be canceled “… until Russia takes demonstrable and transparent steps to prove that they won’t interfere in future elections.” Sen. Mark Warner (Va.), the Senate Intelligence Committee’s ranking Democrat, said the meeting should not be one-on-one. 

“I’m afraid that actually the president could be taken advantage of,” Warner told reporters. 

Before the indictment’s announcement on Friday, Trump told reporters that he planned to discuss election interference with Putin in their meeting. 

“We will of course ask your favorite question about meddling. I will be asking that question again,” Trump said at a news conference in Brussels on Thursday.