'Gutless' Tom Cotton blasted for refusing to condemn Trump’s praise of Vladimir Putin

'Gutless' Tom Cotton blasted for refusing to condemn Trump’s praise of Vladimir Putin
Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas speaking at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Gage Skidmore
Alex Henderson
February 28, 2022Bank

With Russian troops now invading Ukraine, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ardent admirers — former U.S. President Donald Trump — is drawing condemnation from both Democrats and Never Trump conservatives for continuing to praise Putin. But most Republicans are afraid to call Trump out, even as countless Ukrainian refugees flee to Poland and other neighboring countries to escape the violence.

One of them is Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas. When Cotton appeared on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, February 27, host George Stephanopoulos invited him to comment on Trump recently praising Putin as “smart” and “savvy” while slamming the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as “dumb.”

Cotton forcefully condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but he was obviously afraid to say a word against Dear Leader Trump.

Stephanopoulos, noting Trump’s pro-Putin comments, asked Cotton, “Are you prepared to condemn that kind of rhetoric from the leader of your party?” And Cotton evasively responded, “George, you heard what I had to say about Vladimir Putin: that he is a ruthless dictator who’s launched a naked, unprovoked war of aggression.”

But Stephanopoulos doubled down, asking Cotton, “Why can’t you condemn Donald Trump for those comments?” And the Arkansas Republican continued to dodge the question, telling Stephanopoulos, “George, if you want to know what Donald Trump thinks about Vladimir Putin or any other topic, I’d encourage you to invite him on your show. I don’t speak on behalf of other politicians. They can speak for themselves. I speak on behalf of Arkansans, who I talked to this week and who are appalled at what they saw in Ukraine — and they want me right now to fight in Washington to support those brave Ukrainians.”

Cotton’s refusal to condemn Trump’s pro-Putin comments during the Ukraine crisis have inspired many negative reactions online. The Lincoln Project’s Reed Galen, a Never Trump conservative and former GOP strategist, tweeted:

Here are some more reactions to Cotton’s “This Week” appearance:









From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Report typos and corrections to: feedback@alternet.org.

Should Trump be allowed to hold office again?

Understand the importance of honest news ?

So do we.

The past year has been the most arduous of our lives. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to be catastrophic not only to our health - mental and physical - but also to the stability of millions of people. For all of us independent news organizations, it’s no exception.

We’ve covered everything thrown at us this past year and will continue to do so with your support. We’ve always understood the importance of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation.

We need your support in this difficult time. Every reader contribution, no matter the amount, makes a difference in allowing our newsroom to bring you the stories that matter, at a time when being informed is more important than ever. Invest with us.

Make a one-time contribution to Alternet All Access, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.

Click to donate by check.

DonateDonate by credit card
Donate by Paypal
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}
@2022 - AlterNet Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. - "Poynter" fonts provided by fontsempire.com.