It would "absolutely" be a mistake if President Donald Trump does not bring up the issue of meddling in the 2016 presidential election when he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Rep. Lee Zeldin said Tuesday.
"Russia has a longstanding history of doing that," the New York Republican told CNN's Fredricka Whitfield.
"Before you know it, you're facing another election ahead, and it's not only dealing with Russia [but] the integrity of our own process."
Zeldin said even as a Republican, he's concerned about what he saw happening with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic National Committee.
"Who knows where you are in 2020, or 2018 if Russia chooses to meddle in a different way," said Zeldin. "We need to come together as Americans to send a strong message."
Zeldin also responded to the news of North Korea's Fourth of July missile test, saying the United States can never allow North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to have the ability to deliver a nuclear warhead to the United States.
"Every time they test fire it's not just an act of provocation and aggression and message sending, it's a test," Zeldin said, and with every test, North Korea moves closer to the ability to target the United States.
China, meanwhile, has the ability to cripple North Korea's economy, or at least be able to force North Korea to to change its bad activities, including the imprisoning in North Korea of Otto Warmbier, who died just days after being returned to the United States.
"Otto is not a unique exception to the norm in North Korea," said Zeldin, but the people of North Korea look to their leaders as heroes rather than having the full picture of why they live as they do.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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