Trump 'can't risk angering' Vladimir Putin: Liz Cheney

Former President Donald Trump appears to be dependent on Vladimir Putin, at the same time he is seeking powers like those Putin currently enjoys over Russia, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) argued in a scathing post to X Monday.

This comes after Trump finally broke his silence on the death of Russian political dissident Alexei Navalny in a remote prison colony — and didn't criticize Putin, but instead took the moment to say that it reminds him that "Open Borders, Rigged Elections, and Grossly Unfair Courtroom Decisions are DESTROYING AMERICA."

"Donald Trump still won’t condemn the Navalny killing or blame Putin," Cheney wrote. "At the same time, Trump is claiming Putin- style tyrannical immunity in his US Supreme Court briefs."

"Seems like Trump thinks he needs Putin’s help with something and can’t risk angering him," she continued.

A federal appeals court recently smacked down Trump's claim to be immune from prosecution for his actions taken in office, and the Supreme Court is currently weighing whether to review that decision.

Trump seeming closeness with Putin has long been the subject of U.S. media reports, dating to Russian interference in the 2016 election on his behalf. He has not given a straight commitment to protect Ukraine from the ongoing Russian invasion if elected to another term this year.

For years, former President Trump has avoided agreeing with intelligence assessments that Russian President Vladimir Putin interfered on his behalf during the 2016 presidential election.

Most infamously, Trump rejected the American intelligence community's assessment about Russia's actions at a press conference in Helsinki, Finland where he stood next to Putin and said, "President Putin says it's not Russia, I don't see any reason why it would be."

Cheney has been a longtime bugaboo of Trump. She served as vice chairwoman of the U.S. House panel that investigated the events of Jan. 6, 2021.