Former President Donald Trump’s two days of silence following the dying of Russian opposition chief Alexei Navalny is deafening, in accordance with his former U.N. Ambassador and rival for the Republican nomination.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, on Sunday, mentioned that Trump’s continued quiet over Navalny’s dying in Russian state custody is a sign to our enemies that U.S. voters want to notice.
“This goes back to the fact we need to remind the American people that Vladimir Putin is not our friend. Vladimir Putin is not cool. This is not someone we want to associate with. This is not someone that we want to be friends with,” she advised ABC’s This Week.
“Two days and counting and Donald Trump still hasn’t uttered Alexei Navalny’s name,” she mentioned later through the social media platform previously generally known as Twitter.
Two days and counting and Donald Trump nonetheless hasn’t uttered Alexei Navalny’s identify…
https://t.co/BAhKviUnvT— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) February 18, 2024
Navalny, 47, died Friday within the “special regime” penal colony the place he was serving out what stays of the 19-year sentence imposed following his arrest in 2021, in accordance with Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service. Officials say Navalny fell ailing after a stroll and misplaced consciousness. First responders tried however had been unable to revive the opposition chief, in accordance with the Penitentiary Service.
Haley, who spent two years reverse Russian diplomats on the United Nations, mentioned Navalny’s dying might be laid instantly on the ft of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who the opposition chief criticized and brazenly opposed for years earlier than his three felony convictions, and even after, from contained in the Russian penal system.
“Putin has done to him what Putin does to all of his opponents — he kills them,” Haley mentioned Saturday following a rally in South Carolina.
Trump, in accordance with Haley, goes to should weigh in on the matter if he needs to be president once more.
“Trump needs to answer to that. Does he think Putin killed him? Does he think Putin was right to kill him? And does he think Navalny was a hero?” she mentioned.
Haley is the lone remaining long-shot candidate nonetheless opposing Trump’s march towards the Republican nomination, the place she trails him forward of the first in her dwelling state of South Carolina by a median of 31 factors.
The former diplomat has spent the size of her marketing campaign for the presidency selling U.S. help of Ukraine as their defensive warfare in opposition to Russian invasion enters its third 12 months. Trump’s silence on the dying of Putin’s best critic, she mentioned, additionally comes far too quickly after he advised a rally crowd that he would encourage Russia to invade NATO member states that don’t meet his requirements for protection spending.
“One of the presidents of a big country stood up, said, ‘Well, sir, if we don’t pay and we’re attacked by Russia, will you protect us?’ I said, ‘You didn’t pay, you’re delinquent.’ He said, ‘Yes, let’s say that happened.’ No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills,” Trump mentioned final week.
Comments like that, in accordance with the previous ambassador, serve solely to allow the Russian dictator when the U.S. must be standing with our allies.
“All he did in that one moment was empower Putin. And all he did in that moment was he sided with a guy that kills his political opponents, he sided with a thug that arrests American journalists and holds them hostage. And he sided with a guy who wanted to make a point to the Russian people: don’t challenge me in the next election or this will happen to you too,” Haley mentioned.
Russia’s eighth presidential election can be held March 15 via March 17. Navalny was barred from taking part as a result of prior felony convictions, although these fees are broadly thought-about to be politically motivated.
Putin, who has held the place of prime minister or president constantly since 1999, is predicted to win the election by huge margins.
President Joe Biden mentioned Saturday that the Russian president is guilty for Navalny’s dying, concurring with Haley’s assertion.
“The fact of the matter is, Putin is responsible. Whether he ordered it, he’s responsible for the circumstances… It’s a reflection of who he is. It cannot be tolerated. I said there would be a price to pay. He is paying the price already. Since 2000, when I made that statement, Russians have had sanctions imposed on them in other regions and other impacts,” Biden mentioned, in accordance with pool stories.
Haley says that if Trump doesn’t converse up, his silence will betray his place on the dying of the Russian opposition chief and the person who triggered it.
“The fact that he won’t acknowledge anything with Navalny either he sides with Putin and thinks it’s cool that Putin killed one of his political opponents or he just doesn’t think it’s that big of a deal,” she mentioned. “Either one of those is concerning. Either one of those is a problem.”
Trump did lastly, albeit briefly, point out the deceased Russian opposition chief in a Truth Social media put up authored Sunday afternoon, during which he shared an article by Tipp Insights evaluating his personal authorized troubles with these of Navalny.
“‘Biden:Trump::Putin:Navalny,’” the previous president quoted from the article, between posts about his New York fraud-trial penalty and his new line of sneakers.
Herald wire service contributed.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”