'Why is he such a wuss?': CNN's Paul Begala nails 'wimpy' Trump for inaction on Russian election meddling

President Donald Trump may praise strongman dictators and paint himself as a tough guy and a hero, but when it comes to Russia, one CNN panelist thinks his weakness is showing.

"Why is Donald Trump, a man so tough he says he would rush into a school shooting unarmed — why is he such a wuss and a wimp about Russia?" CNN analyst Paul Begala mused on Tuesday night. The remarks came hours after the head of the NSA and U.S. Cyber Command admitted that Trump has not instructed him to address Russia's reported attacks on the 2018 midterms or to take action to prevent them from meddling further. 

"Russia continues to try to undermine our democracy, all of the Trump-appointed intelligence officials say so," the analyst and former adviser to President Bill Clinton noted. "Our president won't give the order to defend America."

"What do the Russians have on him?" he asked his co-panelists. "Maybe it's nothing. Maybe there's something about Mr. [Vladimir] Putin that our president just worships and adores."

Nevertheless, Begala noted, "the evidence, the direct evidence is just catastrophic for him."

"Russia attacked the United States in our election," he concluded. "They did so to benefit Donald Trump. He won't even admit that."

Watch below, via CNN: