Trump’s call to work with Putin on cybersecurity baffles U.S. politicians

U.S. President Donald Trump wants to “move forward” with Russia in a constructive matter, and he says that could even mean forming a joint “cybersecurity unit” with the country.

The president made those comments in a series of tweets Sunday morning, summarizing what he and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about during their first official sit-down meeting last week at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

Trump added that he “strongly pressed” Putin twice over Russian meddling in the U.S. election during their meeting, something Putin has “vehemently denied.”

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Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did not answer directly when asked Sunday if Trump had accepted Putin’s denial, but told reporters in Ukraine that Trump’s conversation with Putin on election interference went about “the way we expected.”

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U.S. lawmakers were quick to denounce Trump’s suggestion of working with Russia to strengthen cybersecurity, pointing out the irony of the statement.

Sen. John McCain spoke to CBS’ “Face the Nation” following the tweets.

“I am sure that Vladimir Putin could be of enormous assistance in that effort, since he’s doing the hacking,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I am sure that Vladimir Putin could be of enormous assistance in that effort, since he's doing the hacking," he said.

Another Republican senator, Lindsey Graham, called Trump’s meeting with Putin “disastrous” in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

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2:14 U.S., Russia cybersecurity collaboration criticized

“When it comes to Russia, I am dumbfounded, I am disappointed, and at the end of the day, he’s hurting his presidency by not embracing the fact that Putin is a bad guy,” Graham said.

He added working with Russia on cybersecurity isn’t the dumbest idea he’s heard, “but it’s pretty close.”

Several politicians took to Twitter themselves to counter the president’s idea.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio blasted the idea in a series of tweets, saying Putin “will never be a trusted ally.”

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Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, defended Trump’s proposal, saying working with Russia on cybersecurity “doesn’t mean we ever trust Russia.”

“We can’t trust Russia and we won’t ever trust Russia. But you keep those that you don’t trust closer so that you can always keep an eye on ’em and keep them in check.”

— With files from the Associated Press