After the latest news involving Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Russia rocked the White House, President Donald Trump has been on the defensive. In his latest social media attack, Trump has now put a political target on the back of a top Democratic senator.
Trump on Schumer
Earlier this week, the Washington Post broke a bombshell story that accused Jeff Sessions of taking part in at least two meetings with Russian officials during the 2016 presidential campaign. The meetings allegedly took place in July and September while Sessions was still a senator.
However, critics have accused Sessions of not disclosing the information during his hearing to be confirmed as attorney general. Sessions, and the White House, have denied any wrongdoing, with Donald Trump accusing Democrats of engaging in a "witch hunt." This issue escalated even further when Trump took to Twitter on March 3 and went after Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
We should start an immediate investigation into @SenSchumer and his ties to Russia and Putin. A total hypocrite! pic.twitter.com/Ik3yqjHzsA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 3, 2017
Led in part by Sen. Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, congressional Democrats pounced on the story from the Washington Post, using it as yet another example of Trump's questionable and potential ties to Russia.
Schumer has been a vocal and outspoken critic of the former host of "The Apprentice," which appears to have come back to haunt him.
Analysis: Trump is blaming the Democrats for Cabinet delays that are normal — and his own fault https://t.co/ykeZjfIxDX
— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 3, 2017
"We should start an immediate investigation into Chuck Schumer and his ties to Russia and Putin," Donald Trump wrote on Twitter on Friday afternoon, before adding, "A total hypocrite!" Attached to the message in question was a photograph showing Schumer eating a donut and drinking coffee along side Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Schumer is a long-time critic of Putin, and the photo in question has not yet been validated, or dated.
Moving forward
The issue of Donald Trump and Russia has been an ongoing theme that started during the early days of the campaign. With Trump and his administration continuing to push back against claims that they have illegally communicated with the Kremlin, only time will tell what the next steps will be.
