Democrats file resolution attacking Trump's comments after Helsinki summit

The Democrats in the House of Representatives have introduced a resolution condemning the statements made by Trump after his summit with Putin, where the US President said he doubted the findings of the FBI and CIA over Russian meddling in the 2016 elections.

Trump Putin — FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump gestures during a joint news conference with Russia's President Vladimir Putin after their meeting in Helsinki, Finland, July 16, 2018.REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

The Democratic Party has introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives condemning the statements made by President Donald Trump during the Helsinki summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Trump was widely criticized by opponents and members of his own Republican Party for his remarks during a joint press conference on July 16 with Putin, in which he raised doubts over the findings of the US intelligence that indicated Russia had meddled in the 2016 presidential elections.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, said:

As the whole world knows, a week ago President Trump sold out our democracy in behaviour that was damaging, destructive and disgraceful.

She said that Trump betrayed American democracy and that many House Republicans were "complicit in the President's betrayal" for remaining silent on the issue, ABC News reported.

Adam Schiff, the highest-ranking Democrat in the House Intelligence Committee, said the resolution reiterates the US policy of standing up for democracies around the world and condemns Trump's "destructive direction" to diplomacy by which he makes "common cause with autocrats around the world."

US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to reporters at the Capitol as fallout continued over U.S. President Donald Trump's Helsinki summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Washington, U.S., July 17, 2018.REUTERS/James Lawler Duggan

Although Schiff said that the Republicans must wake up and protest in defence of democracy, Pelosi admitted that voting on the resolution would be very difficult due to the large conservative majority in the House.

Representative Eliot Engel, Ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, knocked Trump for a "failure to confront" Putin at the summit for Russia's election interference while touting NATO as "the hallmark of American foreign policy".

We have a President unfortunately who not only wants to destroy NATO, who insults our allies, who tries to rip NATO in half, but he then cosies up to Vladimir Putin. It's like Alice in Wonderland.

The trio also called on State Secretary Mike Pompeo, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coates, Defence Secretary James Mattis, as well as CIA director Gina Haspel to testify on the subject before committees of jurisdiction in the House.

"We want to know what went on in the meeting when Putin and Trump were alone," Engel said. "No one's told us what went on in the meeting."