Jared Huffman: “Despite the Kremlin's lies, all facts lead to the conclusion that Vladimir Putin tried to murder Sergei Skripal, a…”

“Despite the Kremlin's lies, all facts lead to the conclusion that Vladimir Putin tried to murder Sergei Skripal, a former Russian double agent, in broad daylight on British soil. Great Britain strongly condemned Russia, and because Britain is our closest ally, our Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, did what we would expect from him: he forcefully condemned the crime and vowed the U.S. would hold Russia accountable. But within hours, Tillerson was fired. Now, we know about the strains between President Trump and Tillerson: Trump has mocked him for favoring diplomacy with North Korea; they have disagreed over the Iran nuclear deal; and it didn't help when Tillerson reportedly called Trump a moron. But none of that cost Tillerson his job. It was only when he aggressively condemned Putin that he crossed the reddest of redlines for Donald Trump. Why is Trump so afraid of Putin that he would fire his own Secretary of State for talking tough on Russia? Why does he constantly fawn over Putin, even calling to congratulate him for winning a fake election this week? You would think the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence would be asking these questions, but, instead, they have shut down their Russia investigation. This stinks, Mr. Speaker. What are they trying to hide from the American people? The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President. ____________________”