Ohio Gov. John Kasich joined other Republicans in scolding President Donald Trump
Donald TrumpHouston cheers Bush’s Super Bowl coin toss Kasparov: Comparing USA to Russia like comparing surgeon to Jack the Ripper Four areas Republicans have moved to uproot Obama’s legacy MORE Sunday for suggesting that the United States was guilty along with Russia for human rights abuses.
“America has been a beacon of light and freedom. There is no equivalence with the brutal regime of Vladimir Putin,” he wrote on Twitter.
America has been a beacon of light and freedom. There is no equivalence with the brutal regime of Vladimir Putin.
— John Kasich (@JohnKasich) February 5, 2017
Kasich, one of Trump’s rivals during the Republican presidential primary, joined Sen. Marco Rubio
Marco RubioKasich: ‘No equivalence’ with Putin’s ‘brutal regime’ Trump plays golf amid bipartisan backlash over Putin defense Rubio disputes Trump’s Russia-U.S. comparison MORE (R-Fla.), another former White House aspirant, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Mitch McConnellFormer Pentagon, CIA spokesman criticizes Trump for singling out federal judge Kasich: ‘No equivalence’ with Putin’s ‘brutal regime’ Trump taps Pence to head voter fraud investigation MORE (R-Ky.) in breaking with Trump Sunday over Putin.
“I do respect him. Well, I respect a lot of people, but that doesn’t mean I’ll get along with them,” Trump said.
When O’Reilly objected by calling Putin “a killer,” Trump said the United States has its own dirty laundry.
“We have a lot of killers,” he said. “You think our country is so innocent?”
Rubio disputed the characterization, tweeting, “When has a Democratic political activists been poisoned by the GOP, or vice versa? We are not the same as #Putin.”
McConnell said, “I don’t think there is any equivalency between the way the Russians conduct themselves and the way the United States does.”
