U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, says Congress needs assurances that President Trump will not again share classified information with people who aren’t supposed to have it.
Appearing on “UpFront with Mike Gousha,” Kind discussed the investigations of Trump’s campaign and Russian interference in the U.S. election, and also Trump’s reported sharing of classified information with Russian officials in the Oval Office.
“He’s got to understand that the Russians are not our friends, they are not our allies, they are not to be trusted,” Kind said on the show, produced in conjunction with WisPolitics.com.
“This is going to make it difficult for us to get the cooperation we need from the Middle East allies and friends on counter terrorism activities,” he said.
Kind added there need to be assurances Trump and his administration won’t do this again.
“It just seems he’s taken a very cavalier attitude to the presidency itself but also the handling of classified information,” he said.
Kind said the investigations of Trump’s campaign and possible ties to Russia need to go forward.
“These investigations need to proceed. We need to find out about foreign interference in our election process, take steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again, and any possible collusion that some Trump associates might have had with Russia as well,” he said.
Also on the program, ABC News Political Director Rick Klein said Trump’s troubles are “taking away real momentum and focus from anything House Republicans like Speaker Ryan want to get done.”
Klein said House members will go home for the summer and then will start to look ahead to the 2018 elections.
“So the window for governing is closing, and closing fast, and it looks like precious time is getting eaten up by the air of scandal in Washington,” he said.
Klein said that Ryan, R-Janesville, appears to be “all in” on Trump, despite their many differences during the campaign, and it has hurt Ryan politically.
“As of now, Speaker Ryan is diminished politically by his association with President Trump. He lost the votes on health care initially, even while resuscitating it. But …talk to a lot of folks who are close to the speaker, that have worked in his office, members of Congress, they have to question Speaker Ryan and his leadership in this,” Klein said.
“This has not been a shining moment for him, because it hasn’t been a shining moment for President Trump,” Klein said.
Former Republican state Rep. Michelle Litjens also appeared on the program to discuss Tuesday’s look at the policy achievements of former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson.
Litjens is the executive director of “[email protected]: A Public Policy Symposium,” which will be held Tuesday in Madison. It’s been 30 years since Thompson, who served nearly four terms, first took office.
Litjens said Thompson developed innovative policies, like welfare reform, that served as a model for other states and even the federal government.
She said Thompson’s personality was part of the reason he was successful.
“Gov. Thompson was so positive,” she said.
“His door was open to Democrats every day. He took ideas from everyone, from the lowly staffer to Democratic leadership,” Litjens said. “He had to work with Democrats to get anything done.”
See more from the program:
http://www.wisn.com/upfront
