Congressman Sires Condemns President Trump’s Consultation of Autocratic Leaders on Ukraine

(Washington, DC) – Congressman Albio Sires (D-NJ) released the following statement in response to reports that President Trump consulted Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban about Ukraine:

“This President proclaims “America First” but he doesn’t listen to his own national security officials, regional experts, or elected officials in Congress.  Instead he listens to authoritarian leaders like Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, who have weakened their nations’ democratic institutions for their personal gain. President Trump turned to Putin for advice within days of Ukrainian President Zelensky’s election.  He still doesn’t believe that Putin interfered in our election even though the CIA, FBI, NSA, and Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a report that concluded Russia carried out a huge cyber operation to do just that.

President Trump met with Prime Minister Orban just days after several of my colleagues and I wrote to him asking him to cancel the meeting because of Orban’s determination to undercut democratic institutions.  Our President cannot claim that he is unaware of these leaders’ lack of respect for the foundations of democracy or human rights because it has been clearly shown time and time again.  Even with that information, he repeatedly chooses to believe the propaganda of autocrats when shaping our foreign policy.”