Schumer knocks Zeldin for comparing Navalny death to Trump prosecution

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) knocked former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) for comparing the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to the prosecution of former President Trump.

“As the world reflects on the murder of Alexei Navalny at the hands of Putin, it’s worth remembering that Democrats are actively doing Biden’s bidding as they also try to imprison his chief political opponent, Donald Trump, remove him from the ballot, and ensure he dies in prison,” Zeldin posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Schumer responded, criticizing the former lawmaker for making the assertion.

“This is the same Republican party that is doing Vladimir Trump’s bidding and standing in the way of the bill that would help the Ukrainian people fight Putin’s illegal, immoral war,” Schumer said.

Zeldin fired back at the New York senator, likening him to Russian President Vladimir Putin for both endorsing “the same candidate for US President in 2024: Joe Biden.”

He said they “believe their party’s chief political opposition should die in prison, and want to deny voters the right to choose for themselves who to elect as President.”

The Russian Federal Prison Service said Friday that Navalny felt unwell after a walk and lost consciousness. An ambulance and its crew tried to revive him but the attempt was unsuccessful, it added.

People around the world expressed concern about Navalny’s death and potential Russian involvement. Biden blamed Russian Putin for the incident and urged House Republicans to pass aid for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

The Senate this week approved a package that includes $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, but it faces an uncertain path in the House, where leaders have indicated opposition to the bill.

Navalny was serving a 19-year prison sentence for extremism. He had been imprisoned since January 2021, when he returned to Russia after recovering from a poisoning he blamed on Putin. Putin has denied trying to kill Navalny with the nerve agent poison.

Navalny became a public figure for campaigning against official corruption and organizing anti-Kremlin protests while running for public office. He was the most prominent opposition leader to Putin’s rule in recent years.

Zeldin, who was elected to the House in 2014 and later had an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid in 2022, doubled down on his claim in another post online. He was responding to a post from MeidasTouch that said his comparison between Navalny and Trump was shameful.

“There is no greater threat to democracy than Biden and his loyalists trying to deny Americans the right to choose for themselves who they want to elect in November as their next President,” he posted, defending Trump against his various ongoing legal battles.

“These extremist Democrats have no bottom. How shameful. How disgusting,” his post said, mocking MeidasTouch’s post.

This story was updated at 4 p.m.