Republican Sen. Jeff Flake went after President Trump once again Thursday, attacking him for his criticism of the press.
WATCH:
“We will once again make clear to our allies that we are allies,” Flake said in his speech at the National Press Club. “And we will never again be afraid to remind friend and foe alike that it is our values that make America, America. We will not wink and nod at dictators, nor will we congratulate them for the good job they are doing in their programs of extrajudicial killings. Nor will we host them in the Oval Office.”
“Nor will we hesitate to punish them for attacking our elections. Nor when this period is behind us, when the Congress passes Russia sanctions with a sense of urgency, then we can be sure that we will implement those sanctions immediately. No excuses, no waiting.” (RELATED: Jeff Flake: Trump Needs To Be Challenged In GOP Primary)
WATCH MORE:
“At a Pennsylvania rally just a couple of days ago, the President sought to quiet the crowd from booing the mention of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un just as he encouraged and reveled in a course of jeers for the U.S. news media,” Flake continued. “This was the same speech, of course, in which he taunted a member of Congress for having a low IQ. Referring to the media as the enemy of the people is not normal or acceptable.”
“It’s hard to say whether the President is aware of that phrase’s ignoble pedigree or whether the impulse just comes naturally. Either way, dictators around the world are borrowing the president’s usage of the term false news–or fake news to silence legitimate criticism and opposition.” (RELATED: Jeff Flake Denies 2020 Plans, But Says ‘I Never Rule Anything Out’)