The Washington Post, September 13, 2023
Former president Donald Trump pointed to sympathetic comments from Russian President Vladimir Putin early Wednesday to try to bolster his case that he is being treated unfairly by prosecutors in the United States.Trump, who is facing 91 charges in four separate criminal cases and who has accused prosecutors of targeting him to hamper his political future, posted on his social media platform just after midnight that Putin essentially agrees with him. Trump leads a large field of candidates for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Putin, who has a history of persecuting his political opponents, claimed Tuesday that the criminal cases against Trump were part of “the persecution of a political rival for political reasons.” He predicted that the proceedings against Trump would diminish America’s global standing, to Russia’s benefit...
The comments reflected the largely warm relationship between the two leaders during Trump’s presidency, which included a 2018 summit at which Trump refused to support the collective conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia had interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election...
In Russia, Putin and his allies have cracked down on dissent, most recently against many who have protested the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
I hope there are a few Trump supporters who are embarrassed by Trump taking satisfaction in being supported by a brutal dictator.