Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the criminal charges brought against Donald Trump, saying they expose the “rottenness of the American political system.”
Speaking at Russia’s Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Tuesday, Putin said the United States can now no longer “pretend to teach others about democracy.”
“What is happening with Trump is a persecution of a political rival for political reasons,” fumed Putin, who has ruled Russia for about two decades.
Putin’s strong words reflect Trump’s own sentiment, with the former commander in chief repeatedly and loudly denying wrongdoing across the board and accusing prosecutors of mounting a “witch hunt” against him intended to tilt the balance in the 2024 elections.
Putin’s disparagement also comes almost three weeks after former Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash, which even the Kremlin admitted could have been “deliberate.”
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump meet at the 2019 G20 summit.REUTERS
Nearly two months before the private plane fell into a fireball on August 23, Prigozhin organized a march toward Moscow, bringing his mercenary forces to within about 124 miles of Russia’s capital.
The mercenary leader, Putin’s former chef, hinted at plans to overthrow Russia’s Defense Ministry amid that country’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin denied responsibility for Prigozhin’s death, but later acknowledged that the rebel leader could have been killed.
Vladimir Putin has long defended former President Donald Trump, who in return has exchanged praise with the Russian leader.Getty Images
“It is obvious that different versions are being considered, including the version (you know what we are talking about), say, a deliberate bad action,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters a week after the accident.
Meanwhile, Putin recently skipped the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi, India, which ran from September 7 to 10 amid international outrage over the brutal attack in Ukraine.
Putin has a history of defending Trump in the public square and has vehemently denied accusations that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election to embolden the real estate magnate.
Mugshot of the former president taken while he was detained in the Fulton County Jail last month. FULTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE/AFP via Getty Images
However, a GOP-led Senate committee concluded in 2018 that Russia did interfere in the 2016 presidential election to boost Trump, supporting the conclusions of the US intelligence community.
During Trump’s presidency, he endured heavy criticism for being too cozy with the Russian leader, but he still enacted tough sanctions against the Kremlin and gave the green light to lethal military aid to Ukraine.
Trump faces four separate accusations, all while running again for the highest office.
Donald Trump is the first current or former US president to face criminal charges. Getty Images
President Biden and Donald Trump are neck and neck in some polls.Getty Images
He faces a total of 91 charges in the four criminal cases, and up to 712 years and six months behind bars if convicted of all of them.
The 77-year-old former president has pleaded not guilty in all four pending cases and has been preparing for a lengthy court fight.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn