Thread: National GOP reluctant to weigh in on Trump's Russia swirl

National GOP reluctant to weigh in on Trump's Russia swirl

Steve Peoples, Associated Press Updated
9:47 am CDT, Saturday, July 21, 2018

AUSTIN — There was no sign of shock or outrage in the hotel hallways and conference rooms where Republican officials gathered to discuss party business even as politicians on both sides and foreign policy experts fretted about President Donald Trump's cozy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The men and women from all 50 states who run the Republican National Committee did their best to avoid the topic of post-Helsinki summit angst during their summer meeting, which ended late Friday. When pressed in interviews, they defended Trump's conduct or begged ignorance, citing what some claimed as a complicated policy matter.

"You know what I know about foreign policy? Once a month I eat at the International House of Pancakes. That's my foreign policy experience," said Ron Kaufman, a longtime RNC committeeman from Massachusetts and former political director for President George H.W. Bush.

"People wanted change. He's changing," Kaufman said of Trump. "The foreign policy experts may not like it. I'm not qualified to say whether it's right or wrong."

https://www.chron.com/news/article/N...s-13093923.php

Yes, GOP should stay out of it, just support the President and the goal of new and improved relations with Russia and hope everything works out to meet that goal for more peace and prosperity.