GOP congressman blasts Trump from the Senate floor: ‘We were weakened as a nation’ by his call to Putin

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) blasted President Donald Trump and his staff from the floor of the U.S. Senate on Wednesday.

The former president of Midland University, who has a doctorate in American History from Yale, slammed Trump for congratulating Putin's victory in a "phony, sham reelection" while at the same time criticizing White House staff for leaking the details of Trump's mistake.

"It was not fair, free, or legitimate and it matters," Sen. Sasse explained.

But the conservative Republican also criticized Trump's staff.

"Here's what's true: a president's staff shouldn't leak," Sasse claimed. "In cases of principle, you may need to resign. So resign."

"Vladimir Putin is not a friend, Vladimir Putin is a despot," he added.

"The President of the United States was wrong to congratulate him and the White House press secretary was wrong to duck a simple question over whether Putin's reelection was free and fair," Sen. Sasse charged. "It was not. The American people know that, the Russian people know that, and the world knows that."

"And Yesterday, when the White House refused to speak directly and clearly about this matter, we were weakened as a nation and a tyrant was strengthened," he continued.

"We ought not in this body find it difficult to say basic true things, like we condemn leaks by the president's staff against him we condemn a Russian despot that aims to make Soviet tyranny great again," Sen. Sasse concluded.

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