Why is Mr. Trump's congratulation of President Putin's re-election controversial?
US President Donald Trump on March 21 strongly defended his congratulation to Russian President Vladimir Putin on his re-election, saying "the fake news media is going crazy because they want me to criticize Putin."
According to Reuters, the head of the White House has faced criticism from both Republicans and Democrats for declaring to reporters on March 20 that he congratulated Russian President Putin on his re-election and that he wanted the Kremlin leader to help resolve the crisis in North Korea, Syria and many other issues.
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The Washington Post reported that Mr. Trump received a specific warning “not to congratulate” in the document prepared for his phone call with President Putin on March 20. White House officials did not deny the news, but said that anyone who leaked the information could be fired.
A person close to President Trump, who asked not to be named, said the president was furious about the leak. Another White House official said John Kelly, the president's chief of staff, was deeply disappointed by the information that was revealed.
In a series of tweets about Putin, Trump said, "The American news agencies want me to criticize Putin. They are wrong! Having good relations with Russia and other countries is a good thing, not a bad thing. They can help solve problems with North Korea, Syria, Ukraine, ISIS, Iran and the impending arms race."
President Trump called his counterpart Putin to congratulate him shortly after he joined the UK in condemning Russia for a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in the UK.
Mr. Trump is currently being investigated by US special prosecutor Robert Mueller to see whether he or his aides colluded with Russia in the 2016 presidential election.
Trump's call to Putin has been criticized for being too forgiving of the Russian leader. Critics also objected to Trump's congratulatory call because they believe the Russian presidential election was rigged. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said "the vote count in the Russian presidential election is not credible."
