certainly possible that the Russian President Vladimir Putin will get an invitation, even

if it hurts him politically.

President Trump says the Russians were removed from the group because President Putin outsmarted

President Obama.

That is not true.

The decision to remove Russia from the group was unanimous.

The reason: Putin invaded and annexed Crimea.

In the conflict that continues in eastern Ukraine, Russian forces support separatists,

who killed more than 10,000 people.

During that conflict, a Russian weapon shot a civilian airliner from the sky, killing

hundreds.

Then in 2016 and 2018, the Russians interfered int eh Americans elections, and according

to the American intelligence agencies, they're interfering today.

France's president Macron today cited THAT as the reason that Putin cannot be readmitted.

This is Fox News' Shep Smith hitting back at Trump's baseless claim that President

Obama had Russia removed from the then-G8 because he was outsmarted.

He said this came during a press conference where the president, per usual, used his time

to attack Americans while defending the Russian president—

Really it was President Obama-- I'm not blaming him but a lot of bad things happened with

President Putin and President Obama.

One of the things that happened was, as you know, what happened with a very big area a

very big and important area in the Middle East where the red line was drawn and then

President Obama decided that he was not going to do anything about it.

You can't draw red lines in the sand, you just can't do it.

And the other was in the Ukraine having to do with a certain section of the Ukraine,

that you know very well where it was sort of taken away from President Obama; not taken

away from President Trump but taken away from President Obama.

President Obama was not happy that this happened because it was embarrassing to him, right?

It was very embarrassing to him and he wanted Russia to be out of what was called the G8.

And that was his determination, he was out smarted by Putin.

He was out smarted, President Putin out smarted President Obama.

It should be noted, off the bat, that no, Obama didn't have Russia removed from the

G8 to settle some personal score after being outsmarted by Putin.

Russia was unanimously removed from the group because it invaded a sovereign country and

then annexed it as part of their own, before ultimately committing a cyberattack on OUR

country and interfering in our election.

Both examples of dangerously undemocratic behavior, and the so-called leader of the

free world took that opportunity to bash…

Obama.

Because of course.

But honestly, while it might seem obvious that Vladimir Putin, and not Barack Obama,

was responsible for Russia's invasion of Crimea, that's how blinded Trump is by his

loyalty to the Russian autocrat.

And what's worse is that Trump sees no irony whatsoever in the fact that Obama took action

AGAINST Russia, imposing sanctions, expelling 35 diplomats from the US and closing two Russian

diplomatic compounds in Maryland, agreeing to kick Russia out of the then-G8, and even

himself warning Putin against meddling… all while Trump's national security adviser

Mike Flynn discussed LIFTING sanctions on Russia, while Trump moved to RETURN the Maryland

compounds to the Russians, while Trump advocated for Russia's READMISSION to the G7, while

Trump sided with Putin OVER our own intelligence agencies regarding Russian meddling.

The hypocrisy is just incredible, that Trump thinks the fact that Putin committing illegal

acts during Obama's tenure puts Obama fully at fault, while completely ignoring the fact

that Trump removed any and all punishment for what happened.

If Trump had just a shred of allegiance to this country and the ideals it's supposed

to represent, rather than his own re-election bid and those helping him secure it, he JUST

might be able to acknowledge the hypocrisy here.

And yet that shows just how indebted Trump is to Putin, because he's not up there representing

the values of the United States, he's not defending democracy, he's fulfilling his

half of what's turned out to be a transactional relationship with Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin meddled in the US election on behalf of Trump, and in return, Trump's

given Putin free reign to do anything he wants without losing his support.

And when I say anything, I mean the Russian government literally launched a missile at

an airplane with civilians on it, killing 298 people on board.

And yet still not a single sharp word from the president of the United States, but rather

an open invitation to not only gain readmission into the G7, but to come as Trump's guest

if he isn't able to curry the votes.

The extent to which Trump has demeaned himself in service of this Russian autocrat cannot

be overstated.

The fact that Trump doesn't think that Putin deserves to shoulder any of the blame – when

he unequivocally deserves 100 percent of the blame – should scare anyone, because a)

it gives him tacit approval to do it again, b) serves as a signal to other autocrats around

the world that there won't be any consequences for election interference or undemocratic

behavior, at least not from the United States, and c) it undermines everything we've stood

for for more than two centuries.

The fact that Trump is so blatantly beholden to some dictator on the other side of the

world that he'll upend centuries of tradition as the world's moral compass puts our entire

democracy at risk.

You'd think that the political party that identifies as the “patriots” in America

might have a thing or two to say about that.

And yet their silence is proof that their grandstanding about protecting our liberty,

about respecting the flag, about defending our way of life was all just some shallow

cover for their real goal, which is to remain in power.

And that's it.

Of course, they aren't fooling anyone.

After losing 40 seats in the biggest route in modern US history during midterms, after

becoming a laughing stock on an international stage at the G7, after even Trump's own

favorite network is calling him out for his glaring loyalty to Vladimir Putin over the

United States, it seems that Trump and his party are finally suffering the consequences

of catering to the Kremlin first.