Cardin: Expelling Russian Diplomats ‘the Right Thing to Do’ – POTUS ‘Forced to Move on This’ By UK’s ‘Strong’ Actions

On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “New Day,” Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) praised the expulsion of Russian diplomats from the UK and stated that he believes “the president was forced to move on this” by the actions of UK PM Theresa May.

Cardin said the expulsion was “the right thing to do. It’s in response to Russia’s attack in the UK. The US has shown unity with our NATO allies to show that we will stand up against this type of attack by Mr. Putin. What is disappointing is the president has yet to acknowledge the attack by Mr. Putin in the United States. Congress gave him authority to impose sanctions. He hasn’t used that authority fully and he hasn’t asked our European allies to join us in regards to the attack against America.”

He added, “I think the president was forced to move on this because of UK Prime Minister May being so strong about what Russia did in Great Britain. We also saw that there are many other countries in Europe that are going to join us in expelling Russian diplomats. So, this is a sign of unity within the Transatlantic Partnership, which is good. It was absolutely the right thing to do. The United States — it’s critically important to show that we stand with Europe in our defense against Russia. So, it was the right move. It is a clear signal to Mr. Putin that there will be consequences of his activities.”

(h/t RCP Video)

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett