Republican hit by backlash after comparing Trump to dead Putin critic Alexei Navalny

New York Republican Lee Zeldin drew backlash Friday for comparing the death of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny to Donald Trump, saying that Democrats are doing to the former president what Vladimir Putin is suspected of doing to Navalny.

The Putin critic was found dead in his prison cell, Russian media announced Friday. The cause of death has not been revealed, but several western officials and Kremlin critics were quick to suggest he's been killed.

"As the world reflects on the murder of Alexei Navalny at the hands of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, it's worth remembering that Democrats are actively doing Biden's bidding as they also try to imprison his chief political opponent, Donald Trump, remove him from the ballot, and ensure he dies in prison," Zeldin, a former congressman, wrote.

The death of Navalny, 47, was announced by the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service, claiming that Navalny was on a walk and "lost consciousness almost immediately."

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"Medical workers from the institution immediately arrived and an emergency medical team was called. ...All necessary resuscitation measures were carried out, which did not yield positive results. Ambulance doctors stated the death of the convict," the statement read.

Navalny's most recent incarceration took place in 2021 upon his return to Moscow after he received medical treatment in Germany for being poisoned by a nerve agent.

He was serving a 19-year prison sentence on extremism charges that he has said are politically motivated.

Zeldin's post drew backlash from both liberals and conservatives. In a post to X, conservative commentator and podcaster Erick Erickson wrote: "As long as Trump gets to fly on a private plane, live in a mansion, run for President, and have due process in courts, your comparisons to Navalny are unserious and reveal your moral depravity and ethical transactionalism."