Hogan Joins Bipartisan Criticism of Trump’s Post-Summit Remarks

Maryland Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) took to social media on Monday to express anger over the remarks President Trump made following his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Just hours after Trump landed at Joint Base Andrews, Hogan slammed the president for appearing to cast doubt on the U.S. intelligence community and the conclusions it has drawn about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. “I remember when President Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union the evil empire,” Hogan wrote. “Not much has changed.”
“Putin is a thug & his actions against our democracy are despicable. On this I agree with our intelligence community. President Trump failed to stand up for our country yesterday,” Hogan continued.
Hogan’s comments parallel those made by a number of politicians who panned the president’s performance at his post-summit press conference. Trump sought to tamp down the controversy Tuesday by claiming that he misspoke. Presidential historian Allan Lichtman, an American University scholar who lives in Montgomery County, said the president’s remarks cry out for politicians of both parties to make themselves heard.
“You can’t dodge this. You can’t hide,” Lichtman said. “This is the time to stand up, to speak out, to take a stand.” Lichtman, author most recently of “The Case for Impeachment,” said Trump’s statement about America’s intelligence community and Russia’s actions “verges, arguably, on treason. Treason involves giving aid and comfort to someone who engages in acts of war against the United States, and there’s no question that Russia engaged in acts of war against the United States.
“Not war with bombs and bullets, but the modern form of warfare — cyberwar,” Lichtman said. Hogan has broken with his party’s national leaders on numerous occasions, though he frequently avoids mentioning Trump by name.  Hogan made national headlines after the 2016 election when he announced he did not vote for his party’s nominee. Rather, Hogan said, he voted for his father. Larry Hogan Sr. was a former congressman and county executive. [email protected]

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