Politics

Bob Menendez Claims Trump Could Be ‘An Agent Of The Russian Federation’

(Right:NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images. Left: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Font Size:

Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez made the extraordinary claim Thursday that President Donald Trump could be “an agent of the Russian Federation.”

Menendez claimed the fact that Trump hasn’t released his tax returns and isn’t more publicly critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin could be signs that the president is compromised.

“I’m talking about the entirely legitimate question of whether Donald Trump could be compromised by the Russian government,” Menendez said in prepared remarks on the Senate floor.

“It’s more than a legitimate question. It’s the natural question that comes to mind every time we learn more about the links between President Trump, his associates and the Russian government,” he said. (RELATED: Menendez Attacks Trump For Classifying Drunk Driving Illegals As ‘Criminal’)

(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) (R) talks to Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) (L) prior to a news briefing after a weekly policy luncheon July 17, 2018 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“Donald Trump may not have investments in Russia, but it’s quite possible that the Kremlin has an investment in him, and that’s what keeps me up at night,” Menendez added later in his speech, which spanned nearly 20 minutes.

“We cannot blindly follow a potentially compromised president down this dangerous path, in which our alliances are suffering, our leadership on the global stage is waning and our competitors are seeking to fill the void,” Menendez later added.

“The American people deserve to know who they elected their president. They deserve to know if he is in fact putting America’s interests first. They deserve to know if Donald trump is, wittingly or unwittingly, an agent of the Russian Federation.”

WATCH: 

Follow Hasson on Twitter @PeterJHasson

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.