US President Donald Trump has gone back on his plans to create a cyber-security alliance with Russia, after the proposal was met with severe condemnation by several Republican senators.

Mr Trump raised eyebrows when he initially said on Twitter that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had discussed “forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit” to tackle issues like election hacking and “many other negative things”.

Perhaps his suggestion didn’t get the traction he had hoped for, because only hours later, President Trump said it would not happen.

 Mr Trump’s initial claim came after he met with the Russian leader at the G20 Summit in Hamburg.

Senator Marco Rubio also ridiculed the proposal, tweeting: “Partnering with Putin on a ‘Cyber Security Unit’ is akin to partnering with Assad on a Chemical Weapons Unit.”

“While reality & pragmatism requires that we engage Vladimir Putin, he will never be a trusted ally or a reliable constructive partner.”

“We have no quarrel with Russia or the Russian people. Problem is with Putin & his oppression, war crimes & interference in our elections.”

And while outspoken Senator John McCain acknowledged Mr Trump’s desire to move forward with Russia, he said “there has to be a price to pay” for the nation’s involvement in the 2016 presidential election.

The Trump backflip comes a day after he was the subject of a scathing review from Australian journalist Chris Uhlmann, that quickly went viral, and in the same weekend the president’s son was accused of meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer during the 2016 election campaign.

According to The New York Times, Donald Trump Jr was promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton before agreeing to meet Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya.

It is unclear whether Ms Veselnitskaya produced the promised information about Ms Clinton, but it was likely she would have done so, according to the NYT’s sources.

Trump’s ridicule continues

President Trump has also been criticised for the release of a bizarre video, which recaps his experience of the G20 summit.

Mr Trump tweeted a two-minute video on Sunday titled, “Make America Great Again”, which featured pictures of himself attending the G20 Summit set to a ‘Make America Great Again’ soundtrack.

Mr Trump raised eyebrows when he initially said on Twitter that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had discussed “forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit” to tackle issues like election hacking and “many other negative things”.

Perhaps his suggestion didn’t get the traction he had hoped for, because only hours later, President Trump said it would not happen.

Many high-profile Republican Senators were dumbfounded by the idea, questioning why the United States would want to work with Russia given Moscow’s alleged meddling in last year’s US election.

“It’s not the dumbest idea I have ever heard, but it’s pretty close,” Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told NBC’s Meet the Press.

Senator Marco Rubio also ridiculed the proposal, tweeting: “Partnering with Putin on a ‘Cyber Security Unit’ is akin to partnering with Assad on a “Chemical Weapons Unit.”

“While reality & pragmatism requires that we engage Vladimir Putin, he will never be a trusted ally or a reliable constructive partner.

“We have no quarrel with Russia or the Russian people. Problem is with Putin & his oppression, war crimes & interference in our elections.”

And while outspoken Senator John McCain acknowledged Mr Trump’s desire to move forward with Russia, he said “there has to be a price to pay” for the nation’s involvement in the 2016 presidential election.

The Trump backflip comes a day after he was the subject of a scathing review from Australian journalist Chris Uhlmann, that quickly went viral, and in the same weekend the president’s son was accused of meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer during the 2016 election campaign.

According to The New York Times, Donald Trump Jr was promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton before agreeing to meet Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya.

It is unclear whether Ms Veselnitskaya produced the promised information about Ms Clinton, but it was likely she would have done so, according to the NYT’s sources.

Trump’s ridicule continues

President Trump has also been criticised for the release of a bizarre video, which recaps his experience of the G20 summit.

Mr Trump tweeted a two-minute video on Sunday titled, “Make America Great Again”, which featured pictures of himself attending the G20 Summit set to a ‘Make America Great Again’ soundtrack.

Source: The New Daily 11 July 2017