Ex-GOP Congresswoman Liz Cheney spoke out this week on the glaring lack of direct condemnation from GOP presidential primary front-runner Donald Trump for the recent death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in detention.
Trump finally referenced Navalny’s fate… and immediately veered into complaining about his own treatment here in the United States. In the message, Trump did not mention Russian leader Vladimir Putin, under whose regime Navalny was detained and who has been blamed for Navalny’s death. “The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our Country,” Trump said, though Navalny’s treatment was long a subject of serious concern. Amid earlier opposition to Putin’s regime, Navalny was even poisoned.
“Open Borders, Rigged Elections, and Grossly Unfair Courtroom Decisions are DESTROYING AMERICA. WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE, A FAILING NATION!” Trump added. Cheney, meanwhile, linked the former president closely to Putin: “Donald Trump still won’t condemn the Navalny killing or blame Putin. At the same time, Trump is claiming Putin- style tyrannical immunity in his US Supreme Court briefs. Seems like Trump thinks he needs Putin’s help with something and can’t risk angering him.”
The alleged “immunity” that Trump is claiming is a procedural protection from the possibility of criminal consequences for actions taken amid his official responsibilities as president. Trump includes in that category his plots after the 2020 presidential election to stay in power, and he is trying to use the courtroom claims of immunity to shut down a criminal case from Special Counsel Jack Smith related to those wide-ranging ambitions and maneuvers.
Trump continues facing extensive criticism for also threatening to support Russia in a potential military stand-off with members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) if they fail to meet ostensible spending obligations, the nature of which Trump misrepresents. He shared that stance at a campaign rally in South Carolina and has rehashed it since.
