The question is why? But I think we all know the answer to that question.
Trump has publicly criticized just about everyone -- even loyalists like Mitch McConnell and Jeff Sessions. The one notable exception is Vladimir Putin.Trump has never criticized him. In fact, he goes to great lengths to defend Putin:
1) He has praised Putin, calling him "so nice" and a “strong leader” who is doing an "amazing job."
2) He has disputed the intelligence community's conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
3) He has dismissed Putin's crackdown on journalists and opposition leaders.
4) He has tried to convince the American people that Putin wants to help the United States in the fight against ISIS, even offering to create a joint cyber-security task force with him.
5) He recently criticized Congress for enacting stricter sanctions on Russia.
6) He joked about Putin expelling 750 American diplomats from Russia.
The only other person I can think of who Trump defends this vigorously is Ivanka.
By Peter Baker
