Trump 'Missed The Mark' By Not Confronting Putin: Fitzpatrick

Bucks County congressman Brian Fitzpatrick reacted to President Trump's controversial remarks at a Monday news conference, saying he "missed the mark" when he sided with Vladimir Putin and denied the Russians were responsible for meddling in the 2016 election, despite that conclusion from U.S. intelligence agencies.

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

Fitzpatrick, a former FBI Special Agent, said the United States "must never tolerate a Russian autocrat that seeks to interfere in our elections."

"I support our Intelligence Community, and I stand by their conclusions. President Trump missed the mark today in failing to confront Vladimir Putin on these realities. The President must acknowledge that Putin directed Russian actors to interfere and undermine our democratic process. Russia is not our ally and Putin is a KGB thug. We must serve harsh justice to those who engage in activities that threaten our democracy, continue an illegal occupation in Ukraine, and support the brutal Assad regime in Syria," Fitzpatrick said in a statement.

His statement comes just days after a People4Trump event with Fitzpatrick in Newtown was postponed due to a scheduling conflict.

Trump's comments on the election meddling and his willingness to publicly excuse Putin on a national stage drew widespread outrage, including from lawmakers in the Republican party.

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."

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.

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