He’s 'on Putin’s side': Former GOP rep blasts ex-colleague’s stammering defense of Trump

Former Rep. Joe Walsh, who served as a Republican representative from Illinois from 2011 to 2013, on Sunday slammed a former colleague’s lackluster defense of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy.

Walsh was responding to a clip of Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) during which the current congressman insisted Trump is “on the side of peace” in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Turner was speaking on the Russia-Ukraine war on ABC's "This Week."

“[Ukriane is] on the side of democracy, liberty, and Russia is on the side of authoritarianism and aggression,” Turner said.

“Which side is Trump on?” ABC’s Jonathan Karl asked.

Turner stammered in his response to Karl’s question.

“I-I, you know, clearly, uhm, you know, Trump is on the side of, of, peace. And he’s trying to balance these two forces which is very, very difficult,” Turner said.

Walsh, in a tweet, called that claim “bulls——.”

“I served in Congress with Mike Turner,” Walsh wrote. “He knows what side Trump is on. He knows Trump is on Putin’s side. He just doesn’t have the guts to say that publicly.”

Karl later pressed Turner on Trump's past statements appearing to blame Ukraine for the war — comments the Republican struggled to explain away.

“Trump has repeatedly said Ukraine never should have started this war, or words to that effect,” Karl noted. “... Ukraine didn’t start this war, they were invaded. So how does that affect his effort to try to broker a peace deal?”

“Clearly a war of aggression is started by Russia and it has been started by Russia,” Turner replied, before arguing the administration is “getting closer” to brokering a peace deal between the two countries.