Huntsman Warns of Putin's Strength

News  |  Jan 9, 2018

According to The Daily Beast, U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee that lawmakers should be concerned about Russian election interference – both what happened already and what is to come: 

...Huntsman was unequivocal in stating that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. He said that as a former governor of Utah, he is deeply concerned about the idea of the Kremlin attempting to interfere with election rolls in individual states and localities. And he offered a stark warning: Russian actors were on course to meddle in U.S. elections again in 2018 and 2020.

“I don’t think Russia is going to quit,” Huntsman told committee members, according to the source who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “Putin probably has never been stronger.”

Huntsman's warning stands in stark contrast with that of President Trump who still refuses to acknowledge Russian election interference.

The ambassador also addressed lawmakers' concerns about the Trump administration's slow implementation of sanctions:

During the briefing, the ambassador pledged that the Trump administration will meet the Jan. 29 deadline for implementing sanctions against individuals and entities that are doing business with the Russian intelligence and defense sectors.

Trump's Russia Ambassador: U.S.-Russia Relations ‘Done’ if Kremlin Meddles in 2018 Elections (Daily Beast)