- The Washington Times - Friday, September 4, 2020

President Trump said Friday he’s tough on Russia but he’s still gathering information on what happened to Alexei Navalny, a key opponent of President Vladimir Putin who’s reportedly been poisoned.

“We haven’t had any proof yet but we will take a look,” Mr. Trump said.

The president said it might very well be the case that Mr. Navalny was poisoned, given what German authorities said about his condition after he was flown there for treatment.

Mr. Trump said reporters should be talking about China a lot more, given that the coronavirus originated there.

“I do get along with President Putin, but I’ve been tougher on Russia than anyone by far,” he said.

Mr. Navalny fell ill during a flight. He reportedly believes something was put in his tea.

The 44-year-old is an anti-corruption advocate. He slammed Mr. Putin’s recent constitutional reforms to serve additional terms in office.

In recent years, other critics of Mr. Putin have fallen ill or died from suspected poisoning.

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.

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