US President Donald Trump has faced outrage for his failure to hold Russia accountable for meddling in the 2016 US election, and some lawmakers threatened action in congress to punish Moscow and show support for US intelligence agencies.
At a joint news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin after a summit in Helsinki on Monday, Trump stunned politicians back home by shying away from criticising Putin for Moscow's efforts to undermine the election, contradicting the findings of American intelligence agencies.
The condemnation for his performance at the Helsinki news conference, including from many fellow Republicans, matched or eclipsed previous controversies in Trump's turbulent 18 months in office.
"The president needs to understand he has damaged US foreign policy," Representative Mike Turner, a Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN. "He's given them a pass and is certainly not holding them accountable for what they're doing."
Some lawmakers said they would seek remedies in congress.
Republican Senator Jeff Flake, a longtime Trump critic, has raised the idea of passing a resolution that would voice lawmakers' support for the US intelligence community and US allies, many of whom are feeling the sting of strong Trump criticism in recent weeks.
Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations panel, has floated a resolution similar to Flake's.
Several senators, including Republican Ben Sasse, Republican Pat Toomey, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Mark Warner, the senior Democrat on the Senate intelligence panel, have backed more sanctions on Russia, but it was unclear whether Senate or House of Representatives leaders would support such a move or how new sanctions might be crafted.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, calling Russia's government "menacing", said he was willing to consider additional sanctions on Russia, and reiterated his support for US intelligence community findings that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
Congress nearly unanimously passed a sanctions law last year targeting Moscow for election meddling and for its actions in Ukraine and Syria. In April, that law led the US Treasury to impose major sanctions on Russian officials and oligarchs, in one of Washington's most aggressive moves to punish Moscow.
Schumer also called for the immediate passage of legislation to enhance election security, and reiterated calls for the Senate to hold immediate hearings to get testimony from Trump's national security team about what transpired during the private Trump-Putin meeting "so we can find out what the heck happened there".
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called on Tuesday for passage of legislation increasing funding to improve the security of US election equipment and prevent cyberattacks. Pelosi also wants to force a vote on the House floor on a resolution rebuking Trump's remarks in Helsinki.
Other lawmakers called for members of the Trump administration to resign in protest.
Not all Republicans were angry with the president's conduct in Helsinki. "The president did a good thing by meeting with Putin," Senator Rand Paul told CBS This Morning program, comments that won him public thanks from Trump on Twitter.
Australian Associated Press
