Trump: Possible Meeting With Putin In 'Not-So-Distant Future'
WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork) – President Donald Trump made a surprise announcement Tuesday of a possible meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"I had a call with President Putin and congratulated him on the victory, his electoral victory," he said during an appearance with the Saudi Crown Prince. "The call had to do also with the fact that we will probably get together in the not-too-distant future."
That 'congratulations' irked Sen. John McCain, who tweeted, "An American president does not lead the Free World by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections. And by doing so with Vladimir Putin, President Trump insulted every Russian citizen who was denied the right to vote in a free and fair election."
An American president does not lead the Free World by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections. And by doing so with Vladimir Putin, President Trump insulted every Russian citizen who was denied the right to vote in a free and fair election. https://t.co/lcQTBi7CA1
— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) March 20, 2018
"Putin has been elected in their country, and that's not something that we can dictate to them how they operate," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders countered.
Trump also hosted a round-table on sanctuary cities Tuesday.
"They are causing a lot of problems with this country," he said.
The president blasted Democrats over the state and local governments that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
"Sanctuary cities in states like California put innocent Americans at the mercy of hardened criminals, hardened murderers, in many cases. Yet House and Senate Democrats voted nearly unanimously in favor of sanctuary cities – explain that," he said.
There was no reaction Tuesday from the White House to new developments in the Stormy Daniels case, including a photo that shows her taking a polygraph tests in 2011, which concluded she was telling the truth about having an affair with Trump.
Daniels recently filed a lawsuit asking that her nondisclosure agreement be voided, because she claims Trump never signed it.
The polygraph test was conducted after In Touch Weekly magazine requested it. The results of polygraphs are almost never admissible in court.
Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels.