Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) on Sunday was dismissive of a report from The Washington Post that President Donald Trump has sought to conceal details of his meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, including by, in at least one instance, taking his interpreter’s notes and instructing the interpreter not to discuss the details of the meeting.
“This is not a traditional president,” Johnson told CNN’s Jake Tapper, after noting that he had “no first-hand knowledge of what the facts are here.”
“He has unorthodox means, but he is President of the United States,” Johnson continued. “It’s pretty much up to him in terms of who he wants to read into his conversations with world leaders. That’s just the basic fact.”
Tapper pressed later: “Are you okay with the fact that the Kremlin knows more about these meetings than U.S. intelligence and the national security committee?” he asked.
“In the end I’m going to judge this president based on his actions,” Johnson replied.
Watch below:
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) responding to The Washington Post's report that Trump has concealed details of his meetings with Putin: "This is not a traditional president, he has unorthodox means." pic.twitter.com/DnmwnrdIfL
— Matt Shuham (@mattshuham) January 13, 2019