House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi suggested the Kremlin is blackmailing President Trump Monday, suggesting Russia has something against the president as the two world leaders met in Helsinki, Finland.
Her comments came as Mr. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a press conference wrapping up their summit, which lasted several hours.
Every single day, I find myself asking: what do the Russians have on @realDonaldTrump personally, financially, & politically? The answer to that question is that only thing that explains his behavior & his refusal to stand up to Putin. #ABetterDeal
— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) July 16, 2018
Early Monday, Mrs. Pelosi said Mr. Trump appeared “afraid” of Mr. Putin during remarks at the Center for American Progress.
Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon also told BuzzFeed News Monday it’s likely the Russians have a “pee tape” or a similar allegation detailed in the unverified dossier compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele about Mr. Trump during the 2016 election.
SEE ALSO: Nancy Pelosi: Donald Trump acted ‘afraid’ in Putin meeting
The president has denied the allegations detailed in the dossier, calling it fake. The dossier was compiled by Mr. Steele on behalf of Fusion GPS, an opposition research firm hired by Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
One bizarre allegation included in the controversial document is that Mr. Trump watched prostitutes urinate on a hotel bed in Moscow in 2013.
“It’s a standard strategy of Russia when people visit there who are important to try to get compromising information on them — to set them up with hookers, to tape everything that goes on in the room — so it’s likely they have that,” Mr. Merkley said.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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