While some lawmakers are demanding that President Donald Trump immediately cancel his upcoming summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin following the indictment on Friday of 12 Russian military officers for "conspiring to interfere with the 2016 presidential election," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) argued that Trump should use the planned meeting to confront Putin over the new charges and pressure him on his alleged role in election meddling.
"We must speak with one voice in making clear to Vladimir Putin: 'We will not allow you to interfere in our democratic processes or those of our allies,'" Sanders wrote in a tweet on Friday. "President Donald Trump himself should be the one to bring this message."
Trump is scheduled to meet with Putin in Finland on Monday, a summit that comes on the heels of the U.S. president's "destructive" performance at the NATO gathering in Brussels and his official visit to the United Kingdom, which was met with nationwide protests on a historic scale.
During a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday as the mass demonstrations kicked off, Trump--who was briefed on the 12 indictments earlier this week--said he plans to ask Putin about his alleged role in election meddling but doesn't expect Putin to make any admissions.
"I don't think you'll have any, 'Gee, I did it, I did it, you got me. There won't be a Perry Mason here, I don't think," Trump said. "But you never know what happens, right. But I will absolutely, firmly ask the question."
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While Sanders argues that Trump should go ahead with the one-on-one meeting with Putin in order to press him on his alleged role in election interference following the new indictments, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) echoed Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and other lawmakers in calling on Trump to immediately cancel the upcoming summit.
The Justice Department's "criminal charges provide hard evidence that Russian intel agents attacked America to boost their favorite candidates, undermine others, and influence our elections," Warren declared. "Donald Trump, cancel your ridiculous Putin summit and get your butt on a plane back to the United States."
