Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized House Democrats after they impeached President Donald Trump.
Putin made the comments at a press conference Thursday, and also added that he does not believe Senate Republicans will vote to remove the president from office, according to CNN. (RELATED: The Kremlin Breaks Silence On Mueller Report)
“This is just the continuation of the internal political battle, one party that lost the elections, the Democrats, and are now trying to find new ways by accusing Trump of collusion with Russia,” Putin said. “But then it turns out there was no collusion, this can’t be the basis for the impeachment.”
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The House of Representatives impeached Trump Wednesday night, marking just the third time in U.S. history that a president has been impeached, despite no Republicans voting for either of the two articles. It was the first time in U.S. history that a president has been impeached without some support from the minority party. (RELATED: Here Are The Three Democrats That Voted Against Impeachment)
Before impeaching Trump over a July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which some believe he engaged in a quid pro quo arrangement, several leading House Democrats accused Trump of colluding with Putin and the Kremlin in the 2016 presidential election. Special counsel Robert Mueller’s two-year investigation, however, did not corroborate these allegations.
Putin has repeatedly denied attempting to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. Trump has warned the Russian autocrat not to meddle in the 2020 U.S. elections.