Roskam huddles with Trump at White House, a move with risk as Dem rival pounces

SHARE Roskam huddles with Trump at White House, a move with risk as Dem rival pounces
roskam_casten.jpg

6th District Illinois Rep. Peter Roskam (l) Democrat (r) Sean Casten | Sun-Times photos

WASHINGTON –Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., is meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, a day after chewing him out for not confronting Russian President Vladimir Putin at their press conference in Finland.

That prompted Democratic rival Sean Casten to demand that Roskam “stand up” to Trump and call him out to his face.

Trump is a defining factor in the battle for the suburban 6th Congressional District seat, a contest that is drawing national attention as Republicans fight to retain control of the House.

“Today at the White House Peter Roskam should demand President Trump renounce his support of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and put America first,” said Casten in a statement.

“Peter Roskam cannot just tweet about his dissatisfaction — he should take this moment to support America’s intelligence community and request Trump reject Putin’s attack on Illinois and America.”

The White House meeting is to talk about the next stages of tax reform, with Roskam invited because he is a member of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee.

The timing of the meeting works against Roskam, since it highlights the balancing he is trying to do to distance himself from Trump in order to appeal to independents, moderates and crossover Democrats in the suburban district without alienating the conservative GOP base voters who have been reliably with him for years.

Trump has been widely criticized for his refusal at the joint press conference in Helsinki with Putin  to believe U.S. intelligence reports about Russia meddling in U.S. elections or to give credence to the indictments of 12 Russian agents for hacking into Democrats’ emails.

Mueller’s meticulous forensic cybersecurity probe recreated the Russian hacking down to the keystrokes.

Roskam said in a statement on Tuesday, “Russia’s interference with our democratic process is appalling and undeniable. The President has a responsibility to not only confront Vladimir Putin for attacking our democracy, but to use all tools available to prevent future acts of aggression that could undermine the cornerstone of our republic — free and fair elections.

“Vladimir Putin is not our ally – he is a brutal dictator who has undermined our democratic institutions; invaded and continues to illegally occupy the territory of our allies Ukraine and Georgia; and continues to support the massacre of hundreds of thousands in Syria. We must maintain a united front with our partners around the world to confront Russian aggression.

“Today’s press conference was an affront to American democracy and the Intelligence Community and a victory for Russian propaganda. The President has a duty to hold Vladimir Putin to account.”

Roskam spokesman Veronica Vera said on Tuesday, “when the President is wrong on something,” Roskam “will call him on it.”

The White House meeting is set for 2 p.m. ET

This is a developing story.

The Latest
Mayor Brandon Johnson did not commit to spending a specific amount of public money to lakefront infrastructure improvements, but vowed that whatever public money is invested, it must be committed to creating more housing and jobs and “a sustainable, clean economy.”
White Sox fans from all over will flock to Guaranteed Rate Field on Thursday for the team’s home opener against the Tigers.
Many kids in the audience came dressed up. I would recommend parents encourage it, as their youngsters will undoubtedly make new friends at intermission finding others who love the characters they do, or who identify with other ones.
They mayor made it clear he will not remove the City Council member for appearing at a rally where an American flag was burned to protest U.S. support for Israel.
Archer Courts, 2242 S. Princeton Ave., will soon get a new hot water system, ventilation system and rooftop solar panels through a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.