GOP lawmaker: Trump is 'getting played by' a former KGB agent

BY JUSTIN WISE - 07/16/18 04:15 PM EDT 433

Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) on Monday tore into President Trump for refusing to denounce Russian interference in the 2016 election during a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"There is nothing about agreeing with a thug like Putin that puts America First," Hurd said in a tweet.

"I've seen Russian intelligence manipulate many people over my professional career and I never would have thought that the US President would become one of the ones getting played by old KGB hands," Hurd said. "To all our allies: there are still many of us in Congress that know Russia is not just an adversary to the United States but to freedom loving people everywhere."

"The President is wrong," he added, noting his experience as a former CIA officer and his work on the House Intelligence Committee. "Russia interfered in the 2016 election and seeks to undermine our democracy."

Hurd said in a series of Monday tweets that since 2016 he has called on Trump, and his predecessor President Obama, to "take action against Putin," saying that "we should not start trade wars with our allies and play nice with communist tyrants."

As a former CIA officer and a Congressman on the House Intelligence Committee, I can affirmatively say there is nothing about agreeing with a thug like Putin that puts America First.

Hurd's comments came shortly after Trump and Putin concluded a high-stakes summit in Helsinki that culminated with a joint press conference, where Trump refused to denounce Russian meddling in the 2016 election.