West Metro Republican Calls Trump-Putin Meeting 'Embarrassing'

WEST TWIN CITIES METRO — At least one Minnesota Republican has decided to take a stand against President Donald Trump's relationship with Russia.

Standing next to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a news conference Monday, Trump surprised the world when he sided with Putin over his own director of national intelligence, casting doubt on conclusions by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russian agents attacked the U.S. electoral system in the 2016 elections.

"I have great confidence in my intelligence people," Trump said during the news conference. "But I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today."

Most famously, Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona — a longtime Trump critic — responded to the president's comments by calling them disgraceful.

"Today's press conference in Helsinki was one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory," McCain said Monday. "The damage inflicted by President Trump's naiveté, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate. But it is clear that the summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake."

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And one Minnesota Republican joined in the criticism.

“President Trump's performance in Helsinki was embarrassing,” tweeted U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen.

“An American President taking the side of a Russian dictator over American intelligence agencies is dangerous. It’s clear they meddled in our elections, and they should be held accountable for it.”

The White House was in damage-control mode Tuesday. Trump was scheduled to meet with members of Congress.

Intelligence director Dan Coats, who issued a strongly worded statement that Russia did interfere in the election, reaffirmed his commitment to "provide unvarnished and objective intelligence in support of our national security."

"The role of the Intelligence Community is to provide the best information and fact-based assessments possible for the President and policymakers. We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and their ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy, and we will continue to provide unvarnished and objective intelligence in support of our national security," Coats said in the statement.

Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin hands U.S. President Donald Trump (L) a World Cup football during a joint press conference after their summit on July 16, 2018 in Helsinki, Finland. The two leaders met one-on-one and discussed a range of issues including the 2016 U.S Election collusion. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)