Dem lawmaker says Trump is trying to be Putin

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) said on Saturday that President Trump’s actions show he is trying to be like Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“What Mr. Trump is trying to do — he’s trying to be Mr. Putin. This is exactly what Mr. Putin would do if he was in charge,” Meeks told MSNBC, referring to the president’s actions against the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion between his campaign and Moscow. 

“It seems as though more of the evidence that is starting to mount, the more intense the president is with obstructing and trying to get Mueller fired,” Meeks said, referring to special counsel Robert Mueller.

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The representative said that Trump put pressure on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to fire FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.

“To me, that is the definition of an obstruction of an investigation,” Meeks said.

Sessions fired McCabe two days before he was set to retire after more than 20 years in the bureau. Sessions said McCabe was fired because he shared unauthorized information with the press and was not honest with investigators looking into his actions.

McCabe has said he had the authority to share the information and instead argues that he was fired to undermine Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Asked if the word impeachment is being uttered more, Meeks said “the word is let Mueller finish his investigation.”

Trump has spoken out against Mueller’s investigation a number of times. He allegedly ordered Mueller be fired but took back his order when the White House counsel said he would resign if Mueller was fired.

Meeks hit Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee for writing a memo about the investigation into possible Russian collusion with the Trump campaign that “could have been written by the White House itself.”

“Never before have you seen such partisanship, particularly on this side of the Republicans when what’s at stake is our American democracy,” Meeks said. “It should be irrespective who is the president of the United States. We should come together in the legislative branch of government to say we are going to do and preserve our democracy.”

The committee ended its interviews of witnesses recently and is expected to produce a report summarizing its findings soon. However, Democrats are unlikely to support the report and are expected to continue investigating possible collusion.