CONGRESS/GOP/INTELLIGENCE/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Russian President Vladimir Putin, accused of interfering in U.S. elections, will not be invited to address Congress or visit the Capitol if he accepts President Donald Trump’s invitation to come to Washington, Republican congressional leaders said on Tuesday [7-24-18]. The comments by House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reflect the unease among U.S. lawmakers, including Trump’s fellow Republicans, about the president’s outreach to Putin after their July 16 summit in Helsinki. Ryan and McConnell rejected the idea of Putin being asked to address a joint session of Congress, typically considered an honor for visiting foreign leaders…The U.S. intelligence community has concluded that Russia used a campaign of propaganda and hacking to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election to aid Trump’s candidacy, and has warned that Moscow is working to meddle in the November congressional elections.”
–Susan Cornwell, Amanda Becker, “No welcome mat for Putin from U.S. Congress,” Reuters, July 24, 2018 7:56 am