One of Russia's state-run TV news programs this week expressed displeasure with newly announced sanctions being leveled against the Kremlin -- and one guest said that it was time to put direct pressure on President Donald Trump to get his administration to back off.
Julia Davis, who runs the Russian Media Monitor website, reports via Twitter that news show "60 Minutes" this week held a panel discussion about actions Russia should take to retaliate against the latest round of American sanctions.
Vitaly Tretyakov, the dean of the Moscow State University's School of Television, argued that the Russian government should use whatever leverage it had over Trump to bend the president to its will.
"Let's turn this into a headache for Trump," he said, according to Davis' translation. "If you want us to support you in the elections, do what we say."
Trump has been infamously reluctant to admit that Russia acted to help him get elected as president in 2016, and during his Helsinki press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month, he once again expressed doubt about the conclusions of American intelligence agencies even as he credited Putin for being "strong and powerful" in his denials of interference.
Watch the video below -- Tretyakov's remarks start sat the 53:47 mark.