Democratic firebrand Ted Lieu blamed Donald Trump for the death of Alexei Navalny in a Russian gulag during a shocking interview.
The California representative floated the theory with MSNBC host Alex Witt that the second-to-last president’s comments about NATO emboldened the Kremlin assassination. The host offered little resistance when the congressman made his comments.
Trump claimed he would encourage Russia to attack NATO members who did not pay their share of the alliance’s budget while speaking at a rally last weekend.
Navalny, the leader of the strongest opposition to Putin, was murdered on Friday at the age of 47 in a penal colony known as the ‘Polar Wolf’ in Siberia.
“It’s all a coincidence,” Lieu said of the timing, adding that “Russia was certainly listening” to Trump and he gave them “the green light to do all kinds of crazy things.”
Democratic firebrand Ted Lieu (pictured) blamed Donald Trump for the death of Alexei Navalny in a Russian gulag during a shocking interview.
The California representative floated the theory with MSNBC host Alex Witt that the second-to-last president’s comments about NATO emboldened the Kremlin assassination.
Navalny, the leader of the strongest opposition to Putin, was murdered on Friday at the age of 47 in a penal colony known as the ‘Polar Wolf’ in Siberia.
Lieu’s comment came after Witt mentioned Navalny’s death and President Joe Biden’s response saying Putin was responsible.
‘What do you think about this and how, if we can, should the United States hold Russia accountable?’ she asked.
“I think we have to ask ourselves: why did Navalny suddenly die at this moment?” Lieu said.
‘First of all, I agree with President Biden that Russia is responsible for his death. Also, what happened a few days before his death?
“Well, former President Donald Trump basically said that Russia should attack European countries.”
Trump boasted at a MAGA rally in Conway, South Carolina, that if NATO allies hadn’t paid their bills, the United States wouldn’t defend them from Russia.
“In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever they want,” Trump said. ‘You have to pay. You have to pay your bills.
Lieu condemned this as “crazy and treacherous language.”
“Russia was certainly listening, and I think they thought, hey, now we have the green light to do all kinds of crazy things,” Lieu said.
Witt asked him if he was suggesting there could be “a direct link” between Trump’s comments and Navalny’s death. “Do you think this potentially emboldened Putin?” she asked.
“I think it’s a great coincidence,” Lieu responded. ‘And certainly Russia is listening to what the former president says. He is talking crazy things.
In marked opposition to other figures in the Western world, Trump also did not condemn Navalny’s untimely death despite speaking at several other events this weekend.
Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley criticized his response as “chilling” and said it showed him “on the side” of Putin.
Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny and his wife Yulia Navalnaya in September 2020
Russian President Vladimir Putin smiles Friday as he visits a forge in Chelyabinsk, Russia.
Navalny died while serving a 19-year sentence on charges that have been widely acknowledged to be politically motivated.
Along with his Anti-Corruption Foundation, he has been the main opposition figure against Putin for the last decade.
The Russian prison service said the brave leader died from “sudden death syndrome” after collapsing. Signs of bruising were reportedly found on his body.
“Make no mistake, Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death,” President Joe Biden said in a statement from the White House.
“Even in prison he was a powerful voice for truth,” Biden continued, with US Vice President Kamala Harris adding that the death was “a sign of Putin’s brutality.”
Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, shared a touching photo of them together in happier times in a heartbreaking social media post. “I love you,” she wrote.